By Mohd Ismail Khan, Twocircles.net,
Hyderabad: The 135 year old head Islamic seminary of Barelvi sect of Muslims in south India, Jamia Nizamia had issued a fatwa on 28th January but literally without any effect on the Milad extravaganza in Hyderabad.
The fatwa asked Muslims 1) Not to put up flags with the names of Allah and the Prophet Moahmmed written on them as the flags may fall down, which will amount to showing disrespect, 2) To desist from un-Islamic practices like playing music, singing and dancing on Milad-un-Nabi 3) to restrain from installing of models of the Kaaba, and Masjid-e-Nabavvi (the mosque and resting place of the Prophet in Medina), 4) It also banned youth from applying “chamki” (glitter) on their faces 4) The fatwa banned loud recitation of Holy Quran in the apprehension that it can disturb others.
The decree was signed by six senior functionaries of the Jamia including, Moulana Mufti Khaleel Ahmed, head of the Jamia Nizamia, Mufti Moulana Mohammed Azeemuddin, and the Imam of the historic Mecca Masjid, Moulana Abdullah Qureshi Al-Azhari.
But the Milad celebrations were later found to be entirely against the fatwa. The sober approach expected in the celebrations as advocated by the fatwa was put to total freeze as soon as the stage was set up for the Milad celebrations in the city. Rupees were spent in Millions for decorating the streets, localities and houses.
Mohammed Kahja Pasha President, Gulshan-E-Mustafa committee, which played a key role in the decoration of the Bada Bazaar area told TCN, that a major portion of those funds for decoration works were contributed by the local residents especially the youngsters. He said nearly 70 lakh rupees have been spent in the 4 km area covering Yakutpura and Bada Bazaar, just for decorations.
Syed Asif, Principal in a local school in the old city area has been observing the Milad celebrations in Hyderabad and especially the old city from many years, at times he himself have contributed money to the Milad decoration funds. He told TCN that the locality Dabilpura stretching up to an area of 3 km, which he lives in was decorated at the cost of around 20 lakh rupees. He said it is difficult to jump to an exact figure but his observations last year accounts to an expenditure of almost 50 crore rupees whereas he says it could be high as around 75 crore this year.
The whole city had green flags with names of Allah and prophet Mohammed (PBUH). At many places in the old city area, and some parts of the new city youngsters were dancing even late in the midnight on the remix Qawalis. In numerous places the cut out models of kaaba and Masjid-e-Nabavvi was installed with different sculpt, like the one in Yakutpura, Bada bazaar area, where kaaba was assigned centrally with seven different models of Masjid-e-Nabavvi doing ‘Tawaaf’ (revolving) around it.
Mohd Nayeem, area in charge of Dawat-e-Islami [a Barelvi sect organization], Amberpet was proud to tell that his organization had actively taken part in the Milad celebrations and decorations. When asked by TCN regarding the effect of Jamia Nizamia’s fatwa regarding Milad celebrations, he said the fatwa had a little effect on the celebrations as it was difficult to control the emotions of the youngsters. The youngsters were really longing to celebrate and rejoice the birth of the prophet and it is difficult to control them because it is a sentimental issue, he said. His organization have found nothing wrong with those flags being tied with the name of Allah and prophet Mohammed (PBUH), as they believe those flags are the symbol of Islam, and his organization have appealed Jamia Nizamia to have a rethinking on this particular fatwa.
The fatwa said that “Playing music at volume that could cause inconvenience to others is not allowed, if there is apprehension that reading the Koran loudly could disturb others, it should not be allowed,” Contrary to what the fatwa said every nook and corner of the Muslim dominated areas where decked up with loud speakers with Qawalis and Naats blaring all over even after the mid night. Syed Shafeeq a resident of the Yakutpura old city area told TCN that his house is co-adjacent to the Bada Bazaar area and he could not sleep properly because the performances were there till 3 in the night, as a result he missed his Fajar prayer, he said he is confident enough to say that those who were celebrating too must have missed their morning prayers.
Gopi Krishna Yadav is a milk seller, lives in a small ghetto locality of Hindus in the Yakutpura area. He said TCN that whole night there were sounds of processions passing through the vicinity of their house, raising slogans; he said he couldn’t sleep the whole night because he feared communal clashes breaking out due the speedy bikes rally by Muslim youngsters in the Hindu locality. Some processions in fact triggered tensions at Lal Darwaza and Ramanthapur.
The fatwa by the Jamia Nizamia was issued on the grounds of concerns expressed by a section of the Muslim community who felt that such large-scale extravagant celebrations were unIslamic and against the teachings of Prophet [PBUH].
Jamia Nizamia has clearly indicated that the celebrations are allowed but they felt that those should be regulated with in the limits of ‘Sharia’. Actually it was the lack of publicity and media hype which rendered ineffectiveness to the fatwa. It brings the whole debate of fatwa controversies in confrontation with even more questions, does Muslims in practice follows fatwa’s? What is the value of fatwa in the modern age Islamic society? Why the English media who always seemed like obsessed to the fatwa’s from Islamic seminaries are cherry picking some which they can make a negative debate? And why are they totally ignoring the fatwa’s issued in the interest of the society?