By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: A Mumbai-based organisation of Ulamas has raised objections to the Hajj Committee of India’s (HCI) new scheme of centralised collection of qurbani money in the total amount collected from the prospective pilgrims who are going on Hajj this year.
HCI has said the facility has been introduced for the convenience of the pilgrims as there have been reports of fraud by middle men who are involved in facilitating the ritual sacrifices.
All India Ulama Council (AIUC), that claims to have representatives from religious scholars of all major Muslim schools – Deobandi, Bareilly, Ahl-e-hadis and Shia denomination of Islam – called a press conference on Thursday in Mumbai, alleging rampant corruption in the Hajj Committee. “The Hajj Committee has decided to perform qurbani on behalf of all the Indian Hajis in Makkah and will compulsorily charge them for the same unlike the previous years, which is unjustified, oppressive and clear violation of Qur’anic injunctions,” they alleged.
Hajj Committee of India, under the Ministry of External Affairs, functions in collaboration with respective state Hajj Committees.
Mufti Azizur Rahman Fatehpuri (Deoband school of thought), Mufti Salim Akhtar (Bareilly school of thought), Maulana Abdus Salam Salfi (Ahl-e Hadith school of thought) and Maulana Syed Ahmad Ali Abidi (Shia denomination of Islam) addressed the press conference terming the decision of the HCI as “anti-Islamic and interfering in the matter of Shariah.”
The main objection of these Ulamas is that performing qurbani is not mandatory among all schools of Islam and hence HCI is imposing it on the pilgrims, which, they claim, is not fair. Speaking to TwoCircls.net over phone, Maulana Mahmood Ahmad Khan Daryabadi, general secretary of AIUC said, “Some people might want to offer qurbani back home, some would not want to do it, even those who are offering sacrifices, may want to buy big or small animal based on their capacity and desires.”
He demanded to know how can HCI impose its decisions, which is against the basic tenet of Islam, on the prospective pilgrims? he asked.
There are three kinds of Islamic pilgrimage (Hajj): 1. Haj-e Ifrad, 2. Haj-e Tamattu and 3 Haj-e Qiran. The pilgrims intending to perform Hajj-e Ifrad are completely exempted from offering qurbani. Quranic injunctions also allow individuals to instead fast for 10 days if he/she does not have means to offer sacrifice of animals (Surah Al-Baqara, 196), practiced more by followers of Hana’fi sect.
“The Hajj Committee of India cannot take away the ease guaranteed by the Qur’an and it cannot make qurbani compulsory for those who are exempted from it,” the Ulamas alleged.
Maulana Daryabadi presented Fatwas from the reputed Islamic institutions – Darul Uloom Deoband, Darul Uloom Ashrafia Mabarakpur, Ahl-e Hadith and Shia schools in this matter, which have also given the verdict against the Hajj Committee decision.
The Fatwas read: “Hajj Committee should only manage administrative affairs and must not interfere in the religious aspects of Hajj. Its recent decision is completely against Islam and it has no locus standi or right to change anything in Islam. The decision to take compulsory qurbani money from Hajis against their will is like putting a burden on one’s head for which he is not responsible and this is not allowed in Islam.”
In addition to the Mufties from various schools, Mumbai-based eminent scholars and AIUC members Maulana Mustaqin Ahsan Azmi, Maulana Syed Athar Ali, Maulana Zahir Abbas Rezvi, Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi, Maulana Anis Ashrafi, Maulana Zainuddin Khan, Farid Shaikh and Abdul Hafiz Farooqui were also present at the press meet.
The scholars said they have met Ataur Rahman, CEO, Haj Committee of India, in groups with memorandum more than once and also written to the different State Hajj Committees with their concerns, stating the seriousness and religious implication of the present order.
“Unfortunately, it seems Hajj Committee members, instead of helping Hajis, are more interested to fetch money from the pilgrims’ qurbani and un-attendant Hajj forms,” they alleged.
A press statement from the AIUC read, “Having had all the Fatwas from the prestigious seats of Islamic learning and authentic opinions from all Muslim schools of thought and Islamic denominations against the Hajj Committee decision, (it) resolves to urge the Central Hajj Committee of India to alter its decision on compulsory qurbani within 15 days from today, else the AIUC will launch a nationwide mass movement against it.”
Hajj Committee responds:
Meanwhile, Hajj Committee of India has responded to the allegations saying that the HCI exist for the convenience of the Hajis and to facilitate their pilgrimage and that they have no intention of causing any inconvenience to them (the pilgrims).
When TCN contacted Ataur Rahman, CEO Central HCI, he expressed surprise that several media have carried the news, without taking their version. He said that such a facility has been introduced for the convenience of the pilgrims as there have been reports of fraud by middle men who are involved in facilitating the ritual sacrifices.
Elaborating further, he said that only last year, there were over 9,000 reported complaints of Hajis, from whom middle men collected the qurbani money and gave coupons, but sacrifices were not done in their names. He added that from Uttar Pradesh alone there were 1,006 such complaints during the last year’s pilgrimage.
Rahman also directed the TCN correspondent to a circular issued on April 13, 2015 by the HCI that explains how the qurbani scheme will work. The circular explains that the HCI will “make arrangement for qurbani for its pilgrims” in coordination with the Consulate General of India, Jeddah.
The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is the only nodal body authorised by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform qurbani for the pilgrims. And hence the HCI will arrange the qurbani through IDB. It should be pointed here that at least 20 countries, including Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, Malyasia, etc. arrange qurbani through IDB.
According to the HCI circular, India’s Jeddah Consulate will coordinate with the IDB to “convey information to pilgrims about timing of the qurbani of different groups of pilgrims … to facilitate the pilgrims in maintaining the sequence of rituals.”
The HCI circular elaborates further, “The decision of arranging qurbani through IDB has been taken by HCI in consultation with the state Haj committees in view of large number of frauds detected. With the arrangement now instituted, the pilgrims will be protected from such frauds and would also not be required to stand in queues in rush hours during Hajj for purchasing the IDB coupons as they used to do till last year.”
The scheme also gives the option of nominating one representative from a group of 30 for performing qurbani himself, if he so wishes. Last year, IDB had fixed the amount for qurbani to 490 Saudi Rials, and it is likely to remain in the same bracket this year too.
Responding to the pointed allegation of such a scheme being “un-Islamic,” the HCI CEO clarified that the scheme was suggested by noted cleric and Nazim of Patna-based Imarat–e Sharia, Maulana Anisur Rahman Qasmi, who is also the chairman of the Bihar State Hajj Committee after several reported cases of frauds.
HCI CEO clarified that most of the pilgrims who go from India, do perform ritual sacrifices in any case and only a small number of people use alternative options. He told TCN that so far only one person has registered official complaint saying that he wants to perform the Haj-e Ifrad and hence would not be required to perform qurbani.
Rahman also noted that it would be unfair to have “adversarial and confrontational attitude” towards the HCI and said that the Hajj House is open to any discussion and exploring alternatives, if there is any concern to work out the possible alternatives for those who are not willing to take this route.
On the allegations of corruptions, he said that he would be glad to work on any complaints if it is brought to notice and urged to refrain from making sweeping statements. Although he did not say directly, but Rahman hinted that some vested interests, who are involved in cheating the hajis might not approve of such schemes.
Speaking to TwoCircles.net over phone, Maulana Qasmi clarified that such a facility is being introduced for better management and organisation of the pilgrimage, adding that to the best of his knowledge only about 2-4% of people perform qurbani on their own and rather appoint someone as representative to perform the ritual sacrifices on his/her behalf. He also clarified that to the best of his knowledge, there is no Islamic injunction that prohibits such ritualistic sacrifices.
Haji Nurul Islam, former MP and chairman of the West Bengal Hajj Committee, who is also the vice chairman of the Central Hajj Committee reiterated that such a scheme is being implemented for smooth performance of the Haj. “If there are some concerns raised by prospective pilgrims, they would take up the matter in the coming May 8 meeting of the HCI,” he said.
(Mudassir Rizwan and Zaidul Haque contributed to this report from Patna and Kolkata, respectively.)