Mosque to preserve ‘Prophet’s hair’: controversies continue

Submitted by admin4 on 11 May 2011 - 5:29pm

Indian Muslim
By TCN News,
Kozhikode: While Kanthapuram AP Aboobaker Musliyar and the Samastha Kerala Jam’iya
thul Ulema (AP faction) are moving forward in their mission to build the largest
mosque in the country to preserve the ‘Prophet’s hair’, controversies continue to fol
low. The most recent one is a letter reportedly from the family which handed ove
r the hair to Kanthapuram saying that the hair is not actually the Prophet’s.
Dr Ahmed Qasraji of Abu Dhabi handed over the ‘Prophet’s hair’ to Kanthapuram Musliyar
at a function held at the Markaz, centre of the Samastha AP group, during the l
ast Milad-e Sherif. Kanthapuram then announced that a huge mosque, namely Sha’re M
ubarak Grand Masjid, would be constructed in the Kozhikode district to preserve
the hair, spending a sum of Rs 40 crores which would be collected from people th
rough contributions. The structure measuring 2.5 lakh square feet would accommod
ate 25000 to 30000 devotees at a time. A township also would be built near the m
osque.

The proposed mosque [Photo: http://nooruonline.blogspot.com]

Dr Bahaudheen Muhammed Nadwi, vice-chancellor of the Darul Huda Islamic Universi
ty, Chemmad, and member of the international Muslim scholars’ body, said on Saturd
ay in a press conference that a member of the Qasraji family had written to him
stating that the hair with Kanthapuram Musliyar was not really the prophet’s. Shei
kh Hassan Muhammed Qasraji, brother of Dr Ahmed Qasraji who handed over the hair
to Kanthapuram Musliyar, wrote to Mr Nadwi that the hairs with his brother were
not the ancestral property of the family. His father has not mentioned about su
ch hair. Mr Qasraji wrote to Mr Nadwi as a reply to the latter’s letter of April 2
1 regarding the matter. Mr Nadwi said that the prophet has not asked anybody to
build mosques to preserve his hair. He added that the ‘sanad’ (the list of persons w
ho passed the hair over generations, by which it can be known how the hair reach
ed Mr Qasraji) of the hair also was not clear.
Meanwhile, Kanthapuram Musliyar reportedly denied the allegations suggesting tha
t the Qasraji family had stated the hair was fake. Only a member of the family h
as denied the fact, and he is not a popular figure. Dr Ahmed Qasraji who handed
over the hair to me is the son of Muhammed Qasraji, former Director of the Herit
age Department and Waqf Minister in Abu Dhabi. The prophet’s hair with Mr Ahmed Qa
sraji is exhibited every year under his leadership, he added.
In another instance, Kanthapuram Musliyar is reported to have said that Dr Ahmed
Qasraji is closely related to the Panakkad Thangal family. Late Panakkad Muhamm
edali Shihab Thangal had made all arrangements when Muhammed Qasraji, father of
Ahmed Qasraji, visited Kerala for medical treatment. Mr Qasraji was a minister t
hen and his family stayed for a month in the house of Muslim League general secr
etary PK Kunjalikkutty. There is a special room in the Qasrajis house to preserv
e the ‘Prophet’s hair’. Scholars from different parts of the world are invited when th
e hair is exhibited to the public twice a year. In such circumstances, it is har
d to believe when somebody says something pointing to a letter by a brother. He
added that he had understood the origin of the letter and would reveal it if nee
ded later. Kanthapuram also said that those who make this a controversy are disa
ppointed that they cannot build such a mosque.
Muslim League president and leader of the EK Sunni group, Panakkad Syed Hyderali
 Shihab Thangal reportedly said today that business motives were behind the ‘fake
Prophet’s hair’ and that some are cheating people in its name. There have been repor
ts that Thangal was earlier approached by some people for contributions to build
the mosque. The people recorded on mobile camera Thangal contributing money for
the mosque, and used it for popularizing the collection of funds. It was later
condemned by the Samastha EK faction, whose Mushawara, higher body of scholars,
then passed a resolution condemning the building of mosque to preserve the hair
and raised doubts that the hair was fake. It also raised doubts on the ‘sanad’ as to
how the hair of prophet reached its present care-takers after 14 centuries.
Some reports point towards bigger real estate business motives behind the constr
uction of the new mosque. The plan of the Kanthapuram Sunni group is to build a
mosque and a township surrounding it in the name of Knowledge City. They plan to
collect Rs 1000 each from four lakh people for the construction of the mosque,
thus collecting Rs 40 crores. Coupons of Rs 1000 as reportedly available in the
mosques run by the Samastha AP faction. Advertisements are also on inviting peop
le to be part of the various ventures to come up in the township surrounding the
mosque. The township reportedly consists of business centre, villas, flats, edu
cational institutions, hospital and other medical institutions etc. However, the
builders have not yet revealed where this huge project is coming up.
However, the Samastha (AP faction) denied the reports that the real estate busin
ess was behind the project, explaining that the mosque and the Knowledge City we
re different projects. Students from different states learn in the Karanthur Mar
kaz education complex run by the organisation and 80% students study there free
of costes. The Knowledge City aims to collect funds for the running of the educa
tion institution also. The exact place of the building of the mosque would be an
nounced only after everything is clear, so as not to help the real estate lobby.
The construction will begin in six months, said Mr Abdul Hakkeem Azhari on beha
lf of the organisation.
The move to construct a huge mosque, said to preserve the prophet’s hair, is being
condemned by all major Muslim organizations in the state. The two Mujahid group
s began their campaign against the project as soon as it was announced, explaini
ng that preserving prophet’s hair was not in the basics of the religion. The Samas
tha EK group also came up against the move, asking the AP group to return the mo
ney collected in the name of the mosque as it was a way of cheating people. Jama
t e Islami Amir T Arifali also spoke against the construction of mosque to prese
rve the hair. In spite of this stringent criticism, Kanthapuram is going forward
with the construction. It is said that the organisation wishes to keep the mosq
ue as a pilgrimage centre like the Hazratbal Mosque and Ajmer Dargah. Kanthapura
m Musliyar is the supremo of the organisation since its formation, and the mosqu
e would act as a binding unit for the organisation even after the death of Musli
yar.
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