– Maaz Ahmed Javed (M.Tech. AMU)
Namaz is an important pillar of Islam, so a person with the slightest religious sense does not want to abandon Namaz intentionally. A detailed mention of the virtues of Namaz is not possible at this point, although a few things can be looked at. For example, at one point, the Qur’an, while presenting the dialogue between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, mentions, “Those who will be in Paradise, they will ask the criminals, ‘What brought you to hell?’ They will say, ‘We were not among those who prayed’.” Considering the above verses, it is clear that Namaz is the reason for distinguishing between the righteous and disbeliever. A rational person cannot, under any circumstances, abandon Namaz after learning just these few things about it. If we keep this point of Namaz fresh in our minds, then, God willing, our attitude toward Namaz will change.
There has been a renewed debate in this country regarding Namaz. The present government first imposed some restrictions on Friday Namaz and Eid-ul-Adha; and made Muslims realise that even those religious ceremonies of yours which are purely individual are owed to us. We can re-regulate them as and when we want. In this context, the recent tension also came to the fore. Last month, a video of a few people offering Namaz in Lucknow’s LuLu Mall was aired. As soon as the video was released, a debate ensued. The Sanghi group, which has a hatred for Islam and the rituals of Islam, came into the field openly, and one of its members announced that wherever Namaz have been offered, we will recite ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. Then news came that some evil fans succeeded in reciting “Hanuman Chalisa” there too. After that, the administration arrested a few people and gave the news that those offering Namaz and reciting Hanuman Chalisa have been arrested for spreading religious hatred. There was also news that Namaz was recited in the mall to start such a debate and spread chaos. In all these discussions, it emerged that the government wants to ban praying in public. Because after this whole debate, the Sanghi group published the video of the Namaz at different places on social media and presented it as a piece of important news. Going through this news, it was portrayed that those people who prayed in public had committed a criminal act.
The attitude of Satan’s agents regarding Namaz is described in the Qur’an as follows: “Satan wants to sow enmity and malice between you through alcohol and gambling and prevent you from remembering God and Namaz. Will you refrain from things?” The Qur’an says, “When you announce the Namaz, they make fun of it and play with it. This is because they do not have intellect. “(Al-Ma’idah).
Does not this statement come true for these disbelievers today? It turns out that the psychology behind all these efforts has been correctly reflected in the Qur’an. The result of this approach is that the Mullahs will be deprived of the Sajdah which was allowed in India until now. However, according to Iqbal, despite this permission, he was not free to fully practise Islam.
Beyond the agitation and reactionary attitude, we need to understand the real problem. Despite so many organised attacks, if we cannot understand that this whole issue is to throw away Islam and Islamic identity, then it is a pity. After realising this, we have to decide that we will not back down even an inch despite a million efforts of falsehood. We have to keep the order of Allah Ta’ala in front of us, who has made it obligatory for us to perform Namaz in all situations of war and peace alike. “If there is a state of uneasiness, pray whether on foot or horseback, in whatever way possible, and when peace comes, remember Allah in the way He has taught you” the Qur’an says. (Al-Baqarah). Namaz is the ascension of the believer. Namaz is a process of communication between the servant and the Lord. Today, this Namaz and its quality have been lost from us. Today, Namaz, fasting, sacrifice, Hajj, etc. are performed, but their original spirit has disappeared. A very positive aspect of these situations is that we should not only insist on performing the Namaz on time and in all conditions but also try to discover its soul. Yesterday, those who performed the same Namaz used to rule over four corners of the world, and today we are suffering from such hardships. Today, there is a need to discover the same Namaz and the same prostration about which Iqbal has said.
وہ سجدہ روح زمیں جس سے کانپ جاتی تھی
اسی کو آج ترستے ہیں منبر و محراب
