It Is high time for Muslim community to correct themselves.
It Is high time for Muslim community to correct themselves.
Khursheed Ahmed Siddiqui
Dehradun, June 5
Following the onslaught on mosques, madrassas and ‘mazars’ of Muslims in the shape of sustained campaign in the name of ‘Land jehad’, ‘Mazar jehad’ and demographic change, in active complicity with Hindutva groups,police andf administrative machinery there is need for instrospection amongst the Muslim community.
The Uttarakhand government, has already demolished 588 shrines (mazars) and sealed nearly 250 madrasas while efforts are on to regulate these madrassas through the Uttarakhand Minority Education Authority which has been established, abolishing the old Madrasa Board effective July 1, 2026.
A total of five mosques have been sealed and shut down in Dehradun district and the latest incident involved the mosque at Thano which was sealed by declaring it unauthorized.
Both sides have been actively issuing statements and circulating videos. The Muslim side argues that constitutional and legal rights are being violated and that the actions being taken are one-sided. On this basis, a petition is now being filed before the Uttarakhand High Court.
In court, documents relating to the ownership of the mosque’s land will have to be presented in order to /establish legal title. In addition, the legality of the mosque building itself will also need to be proven.
From the perspective of Islamic law (Shariah), there should likewise be no dispute regarding the ownership or status of the land on which a mosque stands. The site of a mosque must be free from every form of dispute and must be completely dedicated (waqf) solely for the sake of Allah. This is the first and most fundamental condition for the Shariah status of a mosque.
If this Shariah responsibility is properly observed, the likelihood of legal disputes concerning a mosque becomes very few. However, if negligence is shown in this regard, if individuals act arbitrarily, and if proper documentation is not maintained in accordance with legal requirements, then proving ownership in a court of law becomes extremely difficult. This is one of the reasons why we are facing adverse circumstances in many legal cases today.
The Muslim Ummah is always prepared to make every sacrifice for the protection of mosques, madrasas, and khanqahs. Yet, insufficient attention is often paid to preserving complete and accurate documentation relating to their properties. Can we truly safeguard our mosques, madrasas, and khanqahs while ignoring the clear provisions of Shariah, when the very first condition of Shariah is that their ownership must remain free from dispute?
It should also be remembered that if a mosque is built upon land that has been unlawfully occupied or exceeds one’s legitimate ownership, then even the Shariah status of prayers offered therein may come under question.
Therefore, it is necessary to learn lessons from the present circumstances and to adhere to every provision of the Shariah of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Once the snake has escaped, beating the stick serves no purpose. The true path to security and success in both this world and the Hereafter lies in becoming committed to Shariah before it is too late.
(The writer is a social worker of Dehradun.)
