Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has said that surau and mosques that opened their doors to flood victims, including non-Muslims, should be praised.

In a series of tweets, he said Islam required followers to show compassion and that Prophet Muhammad had given protection to those in need.

"The surau and mosques which opened their doors to flood victims, regardless of religion, are correct and should be praised.

"This is the 1Malaysia spirit which should be an example to others," he added.

Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor visited Penang this morning. The couple met residents who were affected by the flood, which claimed seven lives.

Yesterday, preacher Zamihan Mat Zin criticised the Taman Free School surau in a Facebook post for allowing non-Muslims to seek refuge in the place of worship.

Zamihan said that the situation did not qualify as "darurat" (emergency) and that the surau's caretakers must ensure that the sanctity of the building is maintained.

Zamihan has since removed the posting.

Some were also critical of those seeking refuge not being properly attired in the surau after photographs went viral on social media.

Meanwhile, Zakaria Malik, who is the chairperson of the surau located in George Town, said he was proud of his bilal and committee members for giving shelter to flood victims.

In a Facebook posting, Zakaria revealed that they also rescued dogs from the flood waters.

He said the victims were struggling with the strong current in the wee hours of the morning and were rescued by surau committee members using a boat with no engine.

He disclosed that some of the victims had to remove their shirts because of the extreme cold.

“Battling the currents, we did our best. Not only humans, we also saved dogs and allowed them to be in the surau's compound until the water subsided,” he added.