On June 5, a committee of village clerics and scholars of Raz -e-Muhammad Mustafa of Khempur village at Swar Tehsil in Rampur district, Uttar Pradesh, announced that a Nikah would not be solemnised if the ceremonies include fireworks, DJ, dance and dowry. The resolution was adopted during the committee’s meeting. They announced after the Friday prayers to inform the Muslims in the area.
DJ is un-Islamic
The committee said that DJ dance parties and dowry are un-Islamic. They further added that if any family violated the resolution regarding weddings, the clerics would not perform even funeral prayers for the family in future. While talking to Times of India, Niyaz Ahmad, Chairman, Raz -e-Muhammad Mustafa, said Muslim girls are not getting a suitable match due to the ever-increasing demand for dowry.
AIMPLB’s new Nikahnama
In March 2021, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board had released a new Nikahnama for the Muslims in the country that banned series of ceremonies. The 11-point Nikahnama restricted the Muslim community from having ceremonies like Manjha (Haldi ceremony) and other “un-Islamic” traditions like marriage procession, DJ, dancing, fireworks and dowry. Maulana Rabe Hasan Nadvi, Chairman, AIMPLB, urged the community members to solemnise Nikah at mosques instead of marriage halls.
Fatwas against ceremonies
In March this year, it was reported that a fatwa was issued by a senior mufti of the Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat in Bareilly, which said that it was against Shariat for male and females to eat food together at weddings. The fatwa said that organisers should maintain a difference between mahram (close relatives) and non-mahrams. It also noted that DJs, music, dance and fireworks during wedding ceremonies are un-Islamic.
In April, Markazi Sunni Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Mirzapur, announced that they would not solemnise Muslim marriages if music, dance and DJ were part of the ceremonies as they are un-Islamic. The body also restrained Muslims from demanding dowry. Mufti Abdul Khalik said, “A movement has started in Mirzapur against dowry seekers and those who eat while standing up.”
‘Don’t attend weddings without Hijab’
Earlier, it was reported that a Muslim organisation, Tehreekhe Tahfuje Sunniyat, led by Sajjadanshin Mufti Ahsan Raza Qadri, in Bareilly had started a campaign in the city, discouraging Muslims from attending Nikah that is attended by women without full-face coverings like burqa and niqab terming it as unIslamic. It also said that people should boycott weddings where the female guests freely mingle with unknown men. The seminary also asserted that wedding where guests are expected to eat food while standing should be boycotted.
The Darul Uloom Deoband, one of the most powerful Muslim organisations in the country, has issued numerous Fatwas against DJ, dance and music at wedding ceremonies, calling them Un-Islamic. They also have Fatwas for Muslim women against sharing their photographs and selfies without niqab on social media. Other restrictions include not allowing shopkeepers to help when trying new bangles, because s stranger touching a woman’s hands is ‘haram’.
It is notable here that many Islamic fundamentalist leaders and organisations have spoken against music and dance, calling it ‘un-Islamic’. Radical Islamist Zakir Naik is also vocal against music, asserting that it is forbidden in ‘Shariat’. Recently in Noorpur, Dalits were assaulted by a violent Muslim mob, enraged over music being played near mosque and wedding processions.