Festival of Rakhi Belongs To All
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
10 August
2022
I Was
Appalled To Read In Dailies That Deobandi Ulema Issued a Fatwa against Muslim
Girls Tying Rakhis to Their Hindu Brothers, Terming It UnIslamic and Impious
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Prabhat
Khabar Graphics
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The great
Persian poet Urfi from Shiraz, in the court of Mughal emperor Akbar, once saved
the life of a Hindu woman who tied a Rakhi to him every year till Urfi breathed
his last. Urfi was all praise for this beautiful festival that consolidated the
bond between a brother and sister. He also wrote a Qasidah (panegyric),
extolling the importance of this heart-warming festival.
Amir Khusro
had a Hindu sister, who unfailingly tied Rakhis to him.
The women
of Braj would tie Rakhis to Krishna Bhakt Muslim poet Raskhan (Syed Ibrahim
Khan: 1548-1628).
The regent
of Mewar queen Karnavati sent a Rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun with an SOS
to save her kingdom from a Muslim invader, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. Humayun
rushed to save her in deference to the bond of Rakhi.
Lata
Mangeshkar tied a Rakhi to Yusuf Bhai (Dilip Kumar) every year. The list is
endless.
A human
bond has no religion. A relation between two individuals is above all religious
beliefs and paraphernalia.
On the
occasion of Raksha Bandhan, I still get a Rakhi from my Muslim
sister who lives in Karachi. She's more than a Humsheera (a beautiful
Persian word which means a biological sister who was breastfed by the same
mother; Sagi Bahan in Hindustani, Sheer: milk in Persian) to me. Rubai,
her name, has nothing to do with my non-belief or condemnation of Islam and
other faiths for, she knows that I challenge ideas and views, not individuals.
This cerebral young woman has never called me an Islamophobic atheist or
Islam-basher. What matters to her is our personal bond of brother and sister
and nothing else. Even different countries don't thwart my bond with her as she
too dislikes the pathological and most juvenile notion of my nation, your
nation.
Any
festival of any religion has a universal meaning and purpose. If Eid symbolises
bonhomie, Diwali or Jashn-e-Chiraghaan is an emblem of light and gaiety
and Christmas heralds a new year, full of hopes and verve.
Ergo,
calling Rakhi a Hindu festival or Eid, an occasion for only Muslims is
parochialism of the worst level.
A few years
ago, I was appalled to read in dailies that Deobandi Ulema issued a fatwa
against Muslim girls tying Rakhis to their Hindu brothers, terming it unIslamic
and impious! I felt pity for the 'muftis' of the fatwa factory.
If we all
start celebrating each other's festivals sans religious restrictions and
prejudices, the world can be turned into a far better place to live in.
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A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/festival-rakhi-raksha-bandhan/d/127685
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