The Sajjada-Nashin (religious head) of Dargah Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti, Dewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan has expressed serious resentment towards the film-makers, directors and actors, who visit the shrine just for the success of their films, seek blessings and express their devotion to the Khawaja. In a formal statement on Sunday, July 22, he said that dance and films are taboo in Islam and cinema in general today is promoting obscenity, which is a major reason behind the rapid degradation of moral values in the society. Thus visits by film stars to the shrine are highly objectionable and highly intolerable. The Sajjada-Nashin expressed surprise on the quietude the Ulama and Muslim scholars have been maintaining on the issue, and appealed to them to take notice of this evil like other evils and issue orders as per Islamic Shari’ah. The Dewan of Dargah also said that he had apprised the Ulama of his views before releasing his statement, and that they had agreed to his views (The Indian Express, with reference to PTI, July 23). Some other newspapers also published this statement.
Representation of rightly-guided Muslims It can be said with certainty that this is a sane and extraordinary statement that represents the feelings of all rightly-guided Muslims. The fact remains that people have made khanquahs and dargahs of Muslim saints, like the shrines of other religions, the source of fulfilment of their due and undue wishes. Besides simpleton Muslims, a very large number of Non-Muslims visit these dargahs to get their wishes fulfilled. Along with the proper wishes including those for children, cure for illnesses, success in genuine legal cases and protection from enemies, there are also undue and unlawful wishes for wealth, fame, success in election, progress in illegal business, and success of films. Khadims do receive plenty of wealth in the form of offerings at dargahs from these people. This is why the managers of dargahs bear this wrong with silence, rather most often encourage it. Perhaps this is the first time that the Sajjada-Nashin of the country’s most famous Dargah has raised his voice against a dangerous trend. He wants, and rightly so, that the Ulama and Muslim intellectuals come forward to right this wrong.
Knowledgeable persons knowThose having a close eye on the ups and downs in the history of Islam are aware of the fact that when, the Rightly-Guided Caliphate followed the era of monarchy, the powers-that-be started paying less attention to the Islamic Dawah. Thinkers and knowledgeable persons started undertaking this obligation on their own. And a time came when Dawah and propagation centred entirely around the Islamic saints and their khanquahs. These khanquahs used to be open to all human beings. Non-Muslims as well as Muslims used to be benefited with them. The teachings of these saints were purely Islamic, and there was not even a bit of anything alien. These teachings influenced Non-Muslims also, and they came to the fold of Islam in large numbers. In India, the lives of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti, Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin and other saints and sages tell us that none of their teachings and deeds stood against Shari’ah. But, with the anti-Islam activities of later people, the image of khanquahs started being affected and the situation came to such a sorry pass as Dewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan has pointed out. But the Sajjada-Nashins of khanquahs and dargahs should also see how much is the part of their negligence in causing this situation, and when and where the rot started.
Representation of rightly-guided Muslims It can be said with certainty that this is a sane and extraordinary statement that represents the feelings of all rightly-guided Muslims. The fact remains that people have made khanquahs and dargahs of Muslim saints, like the shrines of other religions, the source of fulfilment of their due and undue wishes. Besides simpleton Muslims, a very large number of Non-Muslims visit these dargahs to get their wishes fulfilled. Along with the proper wishes including those for children, cure for illnesses, success in genuine legal cases and protection from enemies, there are also undue and unlawful wishes for wealth, fame, success in election, progress in illegal business, and success of films. Khadims do receive plenty of wealth in the form of offerings at dargahs from these people. This is why the managers of dargahs bear this wrong with silence, rather most often encourage it. Perhaps this is the first time that the Sajjada-Nashin of the country’s most famous Dargah has raised his voice against a dangerous trend. He wants, and rightly so, that the Ulama and Muslim intellectuals come forward to right this wrong.
Knowledgeable persons knowThose having a close eye on the ups and downs in the history of Islam are aware of the fact that when, the Rightly-Guided Caliphate followed the era of monarchy, the powers-that-be started paying less attention to the Islamic Dawah. Thinkers and knowledgeable persons started undertaking this obligation on their own. And a time came when Dawah and propagation centred entirely around the Islamic saints and their khanquahs. These khanquahs used to be open to all human beings. Non-Muslims as well as Muslims used to be benefited with them. The teachings of these saints were purely Islamic, and there was not even a bit of anything alien. These teachings influenced Non-Muslims also, and they came to the fold of Islam in large numbers. In India, the lives of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti, Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin and other saints and sages tell us that none of their teachings and deeds stood against Shari’ah. But, with the anti-Islam activities of later people, the image of khanquahs started being affected and the situation came to such a sorry pass as Dewan Zainul Abedin Ali Khan has pointed out. But the Sajjada-Nashins of khanquahs and dargahs should also see how much is the part of their negligence in causing this situation, and when and where the rot started.
28/ 07/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf
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