By Kulsum Mustafa,
Lucknow: Renowned Shia cleric and Imam-e Juma Syed Kalbe Jawwad chose Muharram majlises podium to condemn Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who had in his public address in Mumbai in 2009 praised Yezid in context of Karbala tragedy.
Through his speech Naik invited the wrath of Muslims in general and Shia community in particular. Naik had said that Karbala was a ‘mere political battle.’ He even went as far as to address Yezid, the ruler of Shaam, as ‘rehmatullah. Yezid is regarded by Muslims as the main perpeterator of violence and unprecedented torture and trauma on the family of Prophet Muhammed’s grandson Hazrat Husian, his relatives and supporters in Karbala. Rehmatulah, means one on whom Allaha’s blessings are invited. Muslims condemned this act and demanded unconditional apology. There were demonstrations and protests, fatwa was passed against Zaik in Lucknow and and he was not allowed to attend an Islamic conference that he was slated to address in Lucknowand Allahabad.
Asserting that the killer of Prophet’s grandson and 72 others in the battle of Karbala cannot be worthy of God’s blessing, Kalbe Jawwad said that the Holy Prophet had prayed to God to “Grant mercy and blessings on the friends of Imam Husain and curse on his enemy.”
“The Prophet’s prayer cannot go unanswered so it is more than proved that Yezid being the enemy of Imam Husain is not worthy of salutation.
The scholar thus stands exposed and his anti-Islamic outburst deserved to be condemned in the sternest of terms.
The maulana was addressing a mammonth crowd in the morning majlis held on the ninth day of Muharramn at the historic Ghufraan ma ‘ab at Chowk in Lucknow.
The cleric through various illustrations and ‘hadees’ explained that a section of Muslims who condemn the Shia community for giving more importance to Hazrat Ali than Prophet must stand corrected. Ali was the husband of Prophet’s only issue Bibi Fatima Zehra and Shias
respect him as the first caliph and the rightful owner of Prophet’s Islamic legacy.
“When we praise the leaves, branches, fruits of a tree we are in fact praising the tree itself,” said Syed Jawwad. Adding that without understanding Ahleyhbaith one cannot understand the true personality of Hazrat Muhammed Mustafa.
Urging Muslims not to indulge in mudslinging and allegations against the different Muslim sects and communities, the cleric said thatMuslims must realize that there is a deep-rooted controversy among the non-Believers to keep Muslims divided so they do not become powerful.