Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha provide Muslims the best opportunity to convey the message of Islam to the world as not only the congregations are large, the gathering is addressed by ‘renowned’ ulema of the city, town or village. At places even the newspapers and television channels report the speeches made from the pulpits during these occasions. Many regional newspapers even carry speeches made by Imams during the Friday prayers in Ramadhan.
But the tragedy is that most of our Ulema – no not of remote villages or small townships but of big cities – waste this golden opportunity and end up speaking mere platitudes. In fact, some of the speeches are sheer nonsense and have nothing to do with Islam. It is high time the sensible Muslims take up the issue and tell them: enough is enough.
Though luckily Eid-ul-Fitr passed off without any controversy of moon-sighting in the country this year, Muslims in a UP city chose to quarrel as to who will lead the Prayers on the occasion of the last Friday of Ramadhan. The clash was promptly televised by the media yet the two parties did not deem it fit to stop fighting.
All this is happening because the people who are supposed to take the initiative and tell the masses loudly and clearly that clergy or priesthood – unlike that in other religions – has nothing to do with Islam, are silent and indifferent. It seems that they are afraid of speaking out against these half-baked, semi-educated Ulema. An Aalim just does not mean one graduating from certain madarsa, as it is generally made out now. Anyone who is qualified, honest and has certain commitment is our leader or Imam.
Some of the examples of speeches made by Ulema in Eid this year and even Friday prayers reflect their intellectual bankruptcy. A ‘famous’ Ahle-Hadith Aalim of the country – who never fails to remind the people about the number of countries he visits – while addressing a big Eid congregation somewhere in the country delved on the Jewish conspiracy in the growth of papaya. He said that the Jews have developed such type of hybrid papaya, that can cause diseases. He asked the Muslims and even other countrymen not to buy the whole papaya. First cut it into two pieces and than see if it has black seeds. If it has black seeds, accept it and if it has white seeds do not buy it. This was what the revered Aalim had to say to thousands of people at Eid congregation.
The truth is that papayas do have white seeds too, which surprisingly the Maulana is not aware of. The Jews have not made them white. The Aalim, who is not even aware of the ABC of Jews or Judaism or horticulture went on uttering sheer nonsense not realising that people listening to his sermon were laughing at him aside. The poor chap is not aware of the real conspiracy hatchet not only by the Zionists, but all the enemies of Islam, be it the Christian Evangelists or Sangh Parivar.
Another so-called scholarly Jamiat-ul-Ulema Aalim once chose the occasion to tell the people assembled at the huge congregation the ‘Islamic’ manner in which women should be beaten by their husbands. These poor Maulana had no other message left for the occasion.
The irony is that all these are happening at a time when the Muslim world is neck-deep in trouble and there is a plethora of problems. Not to speak of big issues they could have at least spoken against the cultural onslaught on the community, nudity spreading through the Muslim society, the issue of so large number of Muslim girls marrying non-Muslim boys, etc.
Some months back this correspondent got an opportunity to attend a big function organised at a certain Haj Bhawan. The ‘renowned’ Aalim, while biding farewell to the prospective Hajis asked them to pray for the Muslims of the country, for the salamati (stability) of their country and the state to which they belong. The Maulana did not utter a word on the situation in Iraq or Afghanistan and did not urge those going on Haj to pray for the situation there. So far Al-Aqsa is concerned these Ulema seem to have forgotten that the third holiest shrine of Islam is in the hands of the Zionists. They now seldom pray for its recovery nor do they ever refer to it during Friday and even Eid sermons.
One may disagree with a Shia Aalim on certain issues, but the quality of speeches given by them is much better than distinguished Sunni ulema of our country. However, there are some exceptions. The Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari, while addressing the Eid congregation in New Delhi this year, rightly said that notwithstanding 150 crore Muslims and over five dozen Muslim States we have failed to convey the message of Islam to the world with the zeal and enthusiasm it deserves.