Was Tabassum A Muslim Is a Diabolical Thinking: How Can A Name Be Hindu Or Muslim?
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
22 November 2022
Now when Tabassum has shuffled off the
mortal coil after entertaining generations of TV watchers with her inimitably
friendly and effusive style, people are asking whether she was a Hindu or a
Muslim! They're intrigued to know that she was sister-in-law of Arun Govil (
Ram on TV). So, it's 'imperative' for such nosey people to know her religion as
if this will help them attain salvation! Since she was famous as Tabassum (
smile; blossoming of a flower: Ghunche Ka Shagufta Hona) and the word is
of Arabic origin, her religion evokes great interest!
For the unversed, Tabassum's father was a
Hindu and mother a Muslim, who never cared for religion and such pettiness.
We're so debased that we decide a person
and his/her persona by the religion he/she belongs to. This is diabolical
thinking. How can a name be Hindu or Muslim?
When I relinquished my father's religion (
and all man-made bogus organized faiths), I was oscillating between two names
to choose from: Arghaab ( ArGaab with a Ghain letter, not Gaaf: Pre-Islamic
Arabic word for Shua-e-Khursheed; a ray of the sun) and Sumit. I
temporarily chose Arghaab but got cornered as people thought that I was a
Muslim; a religion I particularly abhorred. I had to drop it to rechristen
myself as Sumit, though my faith in this religion is also sub-zero and I detest
it equally.
My point is, why do we give so much
importance to names and external paraphernalia?
Tabassum was a wonderful human. That was
her sole identity, not her name or pseudonym and I'll not say that horribly
disgusting RIP. Condolences to her family and all those who loved her
heart-warming TV shows.
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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 the world's premier publications in
several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/tabassum-diabolical-thinking-hindu-muslim/d/128453