All You Need Is a Praying Heart sans Religious Ostentation
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
20 July
2022
Don't
Behave Like Robotic Zombies, Governed By Thousands Of Years Of Religious
Instincts; Use Your Brains
-----
Lulu
Mall in Lucknow
-----
"Dete
Hain Ujale Mere Sajdon Ki Gavahi
Main
Chhup Ke Andhere Mein Ibadat Nahin Karta"
(The
daylight vouches for the integrity of my faith / I don't worship in the dark)
The
over-devout Muslims, who offered namaz at the newly-opened Lulu Mall in
Lucknow, seem to have been overtly influenced by the literal meaning of the
aforementioned Urdu couplet. After that, some miscreants from other religion
threatened to read Hanuman Chalisa! Absolute asinine behaviour of all '
faithful ' is obvious and it's such a big eyesore.
First of
all, offering namaz or prayers at a public place is a travesty of faith. All
religious practices and offerings are and must be private.
I once
asked a Muslim scholar whether offering namaz on train/bus or a public place
was indeed mandatory. He told me categorically that it was an act of outright
sanctimony on the part of a believer (read Muslim) to offer namaz during travel
or at a public place. He quoted Imam Ghazali, “Your commune with the Almighty
is not a public spectacle."
To quote a
line from a song in the old film 'Sangam' (1964): " Sunte Hain Pyaar Ki
Duniya Mein Do Dil Mushkil Se Samate Hain / Kya Ghair Yahan, Apnon Tak Ke Saaye
Bhi Na Aane Paate Hain " (In the realm of love, even two souls squeeze
in with great difficulty / So much so that even close ones can't enter, let
alone, the outsiders).
Why should
others be a witness to your love for the god? ‘Be a tad reticent and not vocal,
when you love your divine beloved ' wrote Hafiz Shirazi, the past-master of
love ( esp. divine love).
Offering Namaz
in public is a conditioned behaviour, the Muslims, and now others as well, are
afflicted with. Don't behave like robotic zombies, governed by thousands of
years of religious instincts. Use your brains.
We all seem
to have made religion and worship a very public and boisterous affair. This
also shows our religious arrogance and spiritual monomania. It's an attempt to
flaunt one's devoutness.
Your god or
Allah, if at all it does exist, is not bothered whether on a specific day, you
offered Namaz or prayers at a swanky mall, an airport lounge or on a
ramshackle bus in the presence of many people and passengers, what's most
important is your praying heart and an honest intent that don't require this Nautanki
(charade). Alas, the followers of all religions are more into vociferous
display of their faiths than the silent practice of their religiosity.
----
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/spiritual-meditations/praying-heart-religious-ostentation/d/127522
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism