Tariq Sohrab Ghazipuri

Muslims live in almost all continents of the world; practicing their respective cultures. However, if you say all Muslims follow one culture – that grew in the shade of the glorious Qur’an and Hadith and by instructions given under teachings of the Qur’an, revealed to Prophet Muhammad by Allah for the guidance of humanity, then my answer will be different from most of the Muslims.

Being an Indian when I analyze Indian Muslims, I often conclude that most of them keep themselves far from the real track of Islam. I would like to highlight how they differ from the teachings of real Islam despite their claims to be Muslims.

It has been said in the holy Qur’an, “The life of my last Messenger, Muhammad, is an ideal life for all the followers, so, take all ideality on how to pass your life on this earth.”

Accordingly, the last Messenger of Allah practically presented all the Qur’anic gifts based on his practices. The last prophet as well as Messenger was also called the “Practical Qur’an”. Whatever Allah instructed in His Book, he brought all His theoretical commands in practical form. He emphasizes the fact that the religion brought by him for the guidance of humanity teaches how to create peace, stability, prosperity, and tranquility on the earth.

Kashmiri women singing traditional songs

An ignorant old woman threw garbage on the Prophet whenever he passed through the lane where her house was located. The Prophet didn’t complain but ignored her actions every time. One day when he was passing through her house and nobody threw dust at him, he went inside her house.

He found the old woman was sick. When she saw Prophet Muhammad she regretted her behavior and felt ashamed of it. Finally, the Prophet prayed to Allah for her better and she recovered.

Once a wrestler from the rival side approached the Prophet and addressed him, “If you knock me down in wrestling, I will embrace your policy.” Prophet Mohammad accepted his challenge and knocked him down three times with the power of his spirituality. Finally, the famous wrestler embraced his ideology - Islam.

The Messenger stressed hygiene and cleanliness. He said, “Maintaining tidiness and cleanliness is half part of Imaan (Spirituality).” In other words, we may conclude that there should be cleanliness in all aspects of life. Bearing in mind the same visionary ideology, if you visit Indian Muslim areas in India, you will find many Muslim areas dirty. For instance, see the Muslim areas such as old Delhi, Okhla, Zakir Nagar, Abul Fazal Enclave, etc, all these areas invite you to four odors emanating from the dumped waste clogged drains while in Delhi areas with a mixed population, are neat and clean.

The religion Islam advises its followers to pay benign attention to neighbours but even today most of our Muslim brothers do not have good relations with their neighbour. Islam says on the Day of Judgment, you will be held accountable if you have eaten and your neighbor has gone hungry on a given day.

People watching Indepdndence Day Parade in Srinagar

Whether you believe it or not the fact is that our Indian Muslims are responsible for their problems. They claim to be better in comparison to others but if you peep through the window of reality, you will see how they follow religion only in some areas of life. Here are some genuine descriptions for:

Generally, our administration does not like unnecessary parking of vehicles on pedestrians’ paths but in Muslim areas, many cars or other vehicle holders disturb pedestrians by parking on the roadsides or pedestrians’ paths at night. On the other hand, when local police take action against them, they cry foul and say the Police are taking action only in Muslim areas and Muslims are being harassed.

The administration also looks the other way in many places but it is incumbent upon the elders to cooperate with the administration to end the pollution. As I conceive if our local administration pays a little attention, there will be a good freshness of Imaan in Indian Muslims.

“Honesty is the best policy” in the light of the Qur’an but unfortunately you will not observe such honesty when it is needed. As our Indian Muslims claim that they have kept themselves nearer to the teachings of the Qur’an, the reality is that they rarely practice what they have been preached in the holy book.

Also, full truthfulness is lacking in many hearts and they claim to be Muslims. In dealings with others, they don’t show the behaviors that we find the way of the companions of Prophet Muhammad.

In many factories, Muslim owners exploit child workers; sometimes they do not offer monthly- wages to their Muslim workers on time. Is it not exploitation? Like this, they tarnish the image of their religion.

Shia Muslims taking out Ashura procession in Srinagar

When Allah’s Messenger, Prophet Mohammad migrated from Makkah to Medina, he was warmly welcomed there by the people. Songs in his praise and appreciation were sung and he was declared the crown of Medina. The Prophet embraced all human beings and extended his helping hand in all directions for mutual friendship and brotherhood. In a short period after his arrival at Medina, the city of Medina started looking like a beautiful valley of Paradise on the earth.

In my opinion, the reason behind it is obvious and the fact is that our Indian Muslims exported peaceful Islam to others and imported others’ teachings on their own accords, while on the other hand, the Qur’an says, “O believers! Enter the circle of Islam in full.”Indian Muslims are being suppressed because of not following the peaceful path that our Islam ordains them to do.

Others living in India are better and prosperous because they have honesty and sincerity in discharging their responsibilities. In our circle those things are also required in the light of the scripture’s ideology; the same vision that our Messenger of Truth instructed us under his practicality. 

Today the time calls for unity between Hindus and Muslims and this can easily be achieved by Indian Muslims extending their hands of friendship to the non-Muslims just at the same pace as Allah’s Messenger did in Medina after migration from Makkah.

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I also conceive if our Indian Muslims change their lifestyles under the farsighted visions of fraternity as adumbrated, they will be out of all existing tight corners.

Tariq Sohrab Ghazipuri is a academician; view expressed are his and do not necessarily reflect that of the Aawaz-the Voice