Controversy over lighting lamps near a dargah in Tamil Nadu
- The Madras High Court's decision and the subsequent uproar
- What is a dargah and the core message of the Sufi tradition
- Hindu-Muslim shared heritage in dargahs
- Wahhabi opposition and misconceptions about dargahs
- Justice Katju's experiences: From Ajmer to Nizamuddin
- Sufi rituals: Urs, Qawwali, and religious harmony
Katju's appeal: The path to dialogue and harmony
An article on the controversy surrounding the lighting of lamps near a dargah in Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court's decision, and Justice Markandey Katju's comments. A thorough, straightforward, and balanced report on the Sufi tradition, the shared heritage of dargahs, and Hindu-Muslim unity.
Lighting a lamp near a dargah
By Justice Markandey Katju
Some Hindus in Tamil Nadu wanted to light a lamp on a stone post near Hazrat Sultan Sikandar Badshah Dargah, to which the dargah management objected.
The matter went to the Madras High Court, and Justice Swaminathan of the High Court has permitted the lighting of the lamp.
An impeachment motion has been moved in Parliament against Justice Swaminathan.
I am not going into the question of the justification of the impeachment motion or its likely outcome.
What I would like to know is why the management of the dargah objected to the lighting of the lamp? If I had been the head of the managing committee of the dargah, I would have welcomed the lighting of the lamp by the Hindus, instead of objecting to it. Let me explain
A dargah is not a mosque. It is a shrine built on the grave of a Sufi saint. The sufis taught love and brotherhood between all humans, not just among Muslims.
Ordinarily, Hindus do not go to mosques, and Muslims do not go to Hindu temples. But both go to dargahs, and often the number of Hindus who go there is more than the number of Muslims ( though the management is done by Muslims ). So dargahs unite our people, and I love whatever unites us.
Some extremist Wahabi-type Muslims are opposed to dargahs because they believe it is worship of graves ( when Islam permits only worship of Allah ). But the truth is, no one worships the graves of the Sufi saints. People only pay respect to these saints, as they preached the message of tolerance, love for all, and compassion for those who were suffering.
I have been to many dargahs, e.g. Ajmer dargah, Nizamuddin Aulia dargah in Delhi, Dewa Sharif near Lucknow, dargah at Fatehpur Sikri, Kaliyar Sharif dargah ( near Roorkee ), Husain Tekri near Jaora in MP, etc. I love going to dargahs, and recently I went with my friend Salman Khurshid ( former Union Minister and senior advocate of the Supreme Court ) to the urs at Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in Delhi
In the Ajmer dargah, only vegetarian food is served, out of respect for the Hindu devotees, many of whom are vegetarians.
In dargahs, the death anniversary of the Sufi saint is not mourned but celebrated every year with qawwali ( a form of spiritual music ) in a festival called urs, because it is believed the saint was united with God on that day.
So I cannot understand why the management of the Hazrat Sultan Sikandar Badshah Dargah objected to the lighting of the lamp near the dargah. I appeal to the members of the managing committee to reconsider their decision, and go to the Hindus and tell them they welcome the lighting of the lamp, and invite them to visit the dargah,. As I said above, a dargah is not a place for Muslims alone. It is a place for people of all religions and communities, to whom sufis preached brotherhood.
(Justice Katju।s a retired judge of the Supreme Court of। India. These are his personal views)
