Tag Archives: Mosque

Ayodhya court decision

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Ayodhya, Ayodhya, Ayodhya…I think the most popular word nowadays in India. Everybody was talking about what was going to be the decision of High court about Babri Mosque demolition. Actually this mosque was destroyed by radical Hindus on 6th of December, 1992 and since then the legal case was pending at the High court of UP. Everybody was so excited and scared also. People were so scared of the possibility of riots after the decision. We had army everywhere in the Varanasi where usually our streets are police free, we had helicopters in our sky… it was scary.

Finally the decision came and the court tried to make both Hindus and Muslims happy but Muslims do not seem to be happy with the decision. They immediately decided to go to the supreme court of India to challenge High court’s decision. Actually everybody knew that the case will be challenged in Supreme court for sure but it was strange to see how these political leaders became angry on the decision who were talking about respecting the decision of the High court. All of the leaders were appealing us to respect upcoming decision but they were the first one who seemed upset with the decision.

I was talking with a Muslim guy about what he thought about the decision and he said that all of the Muslims were very sad and disappointed with the decision. He said that they feel like High court treated them like beggars and gave only a small part of the land but honestly they have the rights over the whole premises. I did not like his view because the whole world knows that there used to be a Ram temple which was destroyed by Babur so Muslims should also think about it and be happy with the land they got for the sake of India.

In reality, if we look at the mosque through real Islamic rules, the Babri mosque should not be considered as a mosque because Islam says that any mosque built by destroying sacred places of other religions is not a mosque which clearly means that Babri mosque was not a mosque. And after all Muslims should think that the disputed premises was birthplace of Lord Rama which makes that premises a really sacred place for Hindus, maybe the most sacred place in whole India. And Babri mosque was not an important or sacred place for Muslims so why they are unhappy?

I am sure that Hindus would not compromise with this place and Muslims should also think about it. Anyways, the good thing that happened was that no riots and any tension happened because of the decision. I know it very well that many people are angry but by God grace nothing serious happened. In the year 1992 hundreds of people died. And not only in 1992 but in coming years also around 6th of Dec. I think that the young generation is educated and we do not want to fight for a piece of land. I believe that God is the same whether Allah, Ram, Jesus or anyone so why to fight?

I asked several people the same question that what should we built: a mosque or a temple and different people had different ideas and after hearing all of them I thought why not built a pub instead of a temple or a mosque. If the temples and mosque create tension then just built a pub and I am sure it will help people becoming friends with each other. Imagine Hindus and Muslims both coming under the same roof and drinking together and talking… what else we need. Communication gap is the biggest reason behind any kind of tension and this pub will finish the gap.

And this idea is already approved by a very famous and respected poet named Harivansha Rai Bacchan who talks about how temples and mosques make people fight and how drinking places bring people together in one of his most famous poets called Madhushala :

मुसलमान औ’ हिन्दू है दो, एक, मगर, उनका प्याला,
एक, मगर, उनका मदिरालय, एक, मगर, उनकी हाला,
दोनों रहते एक न जब तक मस्जिद मन्दिर में जाते,
बैर बढ़ाते मस्जिद मन्दिर मेल कराती मधुशाला!।५०।

धर्मग्रन्थ सब जला चुकी है, जिसके अंतर की ज्वाला,
मंदिर, मसजिद, गिरिजे, सब को तोड़ चुका जो मतवाला,
पंडित, मोमिन, पादिरयों के फंदों को जो काट चुका,
कर सकती है आज उसी का स्वागत मेरी मधुशाला।।१७।

सजें न मस्जिद और नमाज़ी कहता है अल्लाताला,
सजधजकर, पर, साकी आता, बन ठनकर, पीनेवाला,
शेख, कहाँ तुलना हो सकती मस्जिद की मदिरालय से
चिर विधवा है मस्जिद तेरी, सदा सुहागिन मधुशाला।।४८।

Lets forget about such issues and make the earth a beautiful and a happy place. Peace!


Hindu at Taj Mahal’s Namaz

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I have always been interested in different religions, particularly in Islam and finally I got an opportunity to learn something about it. I shared the apartment with a Muslim guy named Sana in Gwalior during my tour guide training and now we are very good friends. We shared the apartment for 6 weeks in Gwalior and then traveled together for next one week in Jaipur and Agra and I stayed at his apartment in Delhi. I had always wanted to learn about Namaz (the prayer to Allah). I was in Agra on Id and I was staying with Sana, his friend Khesal and Prem. We were staying at hardly five minutes walk from Taj Mahal.

Sana is a different kind of Muslim. I remember him once telling that he was an atheist whereas Khesal was really strict Muslim. He used to go for Namaz by leaving the class during training period. Sana was open for everything, even for drinking which is completely prohibited in Islam. It was Id day and Sana and Khesal both wanted to go for Namaz at Taj Mahal. Id is a day when entry is free to Taj Mahal so they decided to go to Taj Mahal for Namaz. I also asked Sana and Khesal to take me with them. Sana was open for it but Khesal seemed a bit concerned taking me to a mosque.I had already talked about Namaz with Khesal on the night before to Id and I had some idea about how it would be like and I was so excited for it but I was a bit scared also at the same time.

I did not want somebody to stop me and tell to leave the mosque because I was a Hindu. I talked about it with Sana and he said everything would be fine if I follow his instructions. He asked me to hide the red thread I had over my wrist and asked me to take care of my Janeu so that nobody could see it. I was excited for the Namaz but I was feeling a bit scared. I asked my friend Prem to come with us to the Namaz and he seemed okay at first but later he said that he did not want to come with us. He was also a kind of Hindu who did not know Hinduism well because Hinduism teaches to respect all the religions. Well, I went to the Taj Mahal for Namaz with Sana and Prem.

I bought a handkerchief to cover my head and was pretending to be a familiar guy to Islam. I think there were at least twenty to thirty thousand people at Taj Mahal for Namaz and I am sure that I was only Hindu there, and worst thing about me was that I was a Bramhin. Finally the Namaz was started and now I was seriously concerned about me doing anything stupid. Sana had already taught me basics of Namaz and I was just looking at other people around me with my half opened eyes but still I made a mistake but fortunately Sana saw me making this mistake and stopped me from doing so. Sana had told me that people repeat Ayats of Kuran during the Namaz but I did not know anything so I started repeating the Gayatri Mantra and somehow I was able to complete the Namaz without anybody letting know that I was a Bramhin doing Namaz there.

I was so happy to have completed the Namaz. Sana had told me that the people who do Namaz regularly never get any joint pains because they have to sit and stand up several times and now I seriously believe it. I think I had to sit down, band my whole body and put my head on the ground and then stand up for at least five times and the right way to perform Namaz is to perform it five times a day. So I am sure that if anybody is performing Namaz for five times a day, he would never get any joint pains and it is a very good physical exercise. After performing the Namaz, I went in the Muslim neighborhood right behind the Taj and saw Muslism celebrating the festival. It was really a nice experience performing the Namaz and I would really love to learn it properly and would love to whenever I get anyone like Sana who secures my safety and take cares of me.