The Federal Territories mufti's office has clarified that the popular mobile phone game Pokemon Go is not forbidden (haram) for Muslims, if it does not bring any harm.

"The word 'haram' can bring negative connotations and may be unsuitable to be used in our society, so the mufti has used the words 'perlu djiauhkan' (should be avoided)...if the game brings harm.

"This is to communicate that he very much dislikes that the Pokemon Go game is played, based on several arguments stated (in the fatwa)," the statement published on his official Facebook page reads.

The fatwa by mufti Zulkfili Mohamad al-Bakri published last Friday states that the 'Pokemon Go' game and 'Pokemon' "should be avoided...if it causes harm".

Among examples of harm listed include invasion of privacy, accidents, negligence, gadget addiction, loss of focus on reality and emotional distress from losing.

"We recommend games which develops the mind, does not lead to negligence and has no elements of nonsensical belief (khurafat)," the fatwa reads.

It was rolled out in Malaysia last week, days after Iran became the first country to ban the game, citing security concerns.

There have been reports of trespassing, altercations and injuries sustained by players too absorbed in the game.

The augmented reality game uses GPS technology to allow smartphone-wielding players to catch Pokemon characters which are superimposed onto their surroundings on the phone screens.

This means players are often glued to the screens of their phones while moving about, raising risk of accidents.