M'sian preacher found guilty of rape, asks for stay of execution as he has newborn baby to take care of

Malaysian celebrity preacher Da’i Syed will face a 10-year prison term and three strokes of the cane after Malaysia’s High Court rejected his appeal of rape charges.

His appeal for a stay of execution on the basis that he had a newborn baby was denied by the court for being an insufficient reason given the seriousness of the offence.

Incident took place in 2019

Syed, whose real name is Syed Shah Iqmal Syed Mohd Shaiful, was accused of raping a then 23-year-old woman in a condominium in Shah Alam in September 2019, as reported by Bernama.

He was subsequently arrested and tried, pleading not guilty in December 2020.

He was eventually found guilty of rape and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and three strokes of the cane in August 2024.

Syed entered jail for 21 days, but was eventually granted a stay while he appealed his conviction, a process that came to an end on Jan. 23, 2026, as the High Court upheld his sentence, as reported by Bernama.

Crying in the dock

World of Buzz reported that Syed was seen crying in the dock after the decision was read out.

The High Court Judge, Adlin Abdul Majid, said that the decision against Syed by the Session Court judge was supported by “strong evidence” and a proper evaluation of both the prosecution’s and defence’s cases.

Adlin found that there had been no error made by the sessions court judge and found the sentence imposed to be "reasonable and proportionate to the offence committed".

He ordered the sentence to take effect immediately, from Jan. 23.

Significant impact

Syed requested through his lawyers that the sentence be postponed as his wife had given birth just three months prior, citing his child’s young age, and the fact that he was his family’s sole breadwinner.

The prosecution argued that the reasons were insufficient to justify a suspension of the sentence, and the court agreed and ruled that the offence was serious and had caused a significant impact on the victim.

​Syed’s wife Hana was spotted hugging her husband after his application for a stay of execution was rejected, as reported by Kosmo.

Speaking to the press, she said that she left everything to “God and the lawyers”.

Top image via daisyed_/instagram