Maulana Habibur Rahman of Indonesia and Maulana Jarjis Ansari of India Represent Two Approaches to Social Reform
Reformist
Approach Not Hostility towards Social Evils Should Be Adopted
Main Points:
1. Religious
preachers in India only deliver speeches in jalsas.
2. They do not
reach out to the target audience.
3. Most of
their speeches revolve round sectarian beliefs.
4. No serious
efforts are made to fight social evils.
-----
By New
Age Islam Staff Writer
27
September 2022
Maulana
Jarjis Ansari
----
In November
2018, an Indonesian preacher Maulana Hobibur Rahman entered a night club in the
evening where lady dancers were performing dance to the customers as usual. It
was the time when the Muslim extremists of Indonesia had unleashed a violent
campaign against the entertainment industry and the LGBT. Night clubs, dancers
and other entertainment professionals were being attacked. The dancers in the
night club were afraid of Maulana Habibur Rahman. But Hobibur Rahman known as
Gus Miftah did not adopt a violent attitude. He sat with the dancers and had a
discussion with them over Islamic values and informed them of Maruf and Nahl (Islamic
and un-Islamic behaviour). He simply told them that what they were doing was
not either in their own interest or of the society. The lady dancers were moved
by his speech and some even cried.
The Muslim
organisations and hardline Muslim Ulema criticised this way of preaching to the
'evil doers'. They were of the opinion that such people should be dealt with
ruthlessly and not with love and affection. 35 year-old Maulana Hobibur Rahman
was not affected by the criticism and continued with his discussions with the
members of the entertainment industry. Mos of them thought that they could not
leave their job because it was their profession but they could also follow
their religious duties along with their professional work.
Religious
preachers like Maulana Habibur Rahman are rare in the Muslim society. Most of
the religious preachers act as enforcers not reformers. Maulana Habibur Rahman
follows the Quranic principle of 'Advise good and forbid evil' and not of the
mistranslated version 'Order good and forcefully prevent evil'.
In India,
our religious preachers and Islamic scholars mainly deliver speeches in Jalsas
(assemblies) where their speeches revolve round sectarian issues or topics
because the preachers belong to one or the other sect. The religious education
system in the sub-continent is designed in a way that one must subscribe to a
particular Maslak. So after graduating from a madrasa, the Aalim
spends his lifetime defending his sectarian beliefs and proving the opponents
wrong.
Maulana
Hobibur Rahman had a target group --- bar dancers, and he achieved success in
convincing them that they were on the wrong path. In our country, people spend
their time in gambling or other unIslamic activities. Most of the Muslim youth
are unaware of the Islamic values. They spend their time in vane activities.
Unemployed youth get involved in unproductive and even destructive activities.
But there is no organised effort on the part of the Islamic preachers to start
campaign against social evils. They do not have a target group for reform. What
they are good at is delivering speeches in Jalsas. Loudspeakers have
become the most effective tool for them. They deliver their sectarian speeches
on top of their voice as if a war is going on. In their speech they mention the
word Kafir again and again and the non- Muslims of the locality worriedly
wonder if he is saying something against them. Little do they know that the
word Kafir is used for the other sects of the Muslims and not for them.
Recently,
an Islamic preacher, Maulana Jarjis Ansari was convicted by a court in Varanasi
for the sexual exploitation of a Muslim woman for two years. He was sentenced
to ten years of imprisonment. The Maulana defended himself saying that he was
framed by his sectarian opponents who were troubled by his tirade against their
sects. If his claim is true, then it sheds light on the gloomy state of affairs
between sects. The sectarian hatred and conflict can go to this extent. This is
only because of the tradition of Islamic Jalsas where professional Maulanas
expert in religious oratory deliver speeches. They charge a hefty fee for their
sectarian speeches. The prophets did not claim any reward or remuneration in
return for their preaching but these successors of prophets (Waris-e-Ambiya)
claim thousands of rupees for one speech. The audience in these Jalsas do not
attend these Jalsas to learn Islamic teachings but to hear how their Maulana
proves the opposing sect Kafir worthy to be killed. Here religious reform is
not the issue or the purpose. The main purpose of the speeches is to criticise
other sects. A few years ago, a preacher of Gaya expert in Monazra was
waylaid and taken to a forest where he was beaten up badly by the members of
the other sect whom he criticised. This is because our religious leaders have
forgotten their real duty of reform of the society. Drug addiction among the
Muslim youth is rising, social evils like dowry custom could not be rooted out.
Brides are killed for dowry.
Crimes in
Muslim localities are rising. Violence, shooting and bombings are a routine in
Muslim societies. Non-Muslims are afraid of entering Muslim localities because
of the unfriendly environment and look like ghettos. Loudspeakers are played at
high volume at every event causing inconvenience to both the Muslims and
non-Muslims..
In short,
the true prophetic attitude of reform is missing among Muslim preachers and
religious leaders. Great reformers have always tried to reform the society with
love and affection. The holy prophet pbuh reformed the woman who threw garbage
on him every day with love and affection. He showed to her that he cared for
her. Maulana Habibur Rahman showed to the night club dancers that he cared for
them and the attitude moved them. Gautam Buddha got an invitation for a dinner
by the courtesan Ambapali whom people despised for her corrupt way of lice. His
disciples advised him not to accept her invitation because she was a
seductress. But the Buddha accepted her invitation and had meal at her house.
She was deeply moved by his affection and joined Buddhism. She became one of
the Theris (Bhikshunis) whose religious poems are included in the religious
canon of Buddhism, the Tripitaka. Social reformers know that love not hate can
reform the society and sincere efforts not fiery speeches bring revolution. If
Maulana Jarjis Ansari had realised this truth, he would not have landed in
jail.
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