Q98: MOURNING FOR THE MARTYRS OF KARBALA On Ashura day...

Q98: MOURNING FOR THE MARTYRS OF KARBALA On Ashura day (12/5/1965) an article of mine was published in the Standard Tanzania, D'Salaam, on the tragedy of Karbala. Mr. A. Robley of Arusha (a Qadiani) in a letter to editor protested that mourning for the dead was against the teaching of Islam. I sent a short reply and invited him to seek enlightenment by private correspondence. When he wrote a letter to me, I advised him to see Haji Ali Mohammad Jaffer Sheriff (Arusha) for detailed reply.

After being shown the references etc. on this subject, he asked Haji Ali that the references should be given to him in writing. Hence the following letter, to which no reply was ever received. This letter is published now because it answers many questions often put before us: A. Please refer to your conversation with Haji Ali about mourning of Martyrs of Karbala and your request that it should be recorded in writing. First of all, let me emphasize that your whole approach to this matter is wrong.

You are labouring under the presumption that everything to be lawful should be expressly allowed in Sheriat, while the dictum accepted in all the sects of Islam is that everything is lawful unless it is expressly forbidden. We cannot declare an act unlawful just on the ground that it was invented after the Prophet. Otherwise we shall have to bum all the books of traditions, commentaries of Qur'an, Fiqah of Imams Abu Hanifa, Shafii, Malik and Ibn Hanbal.

Not only this, but we shall have to think whether it is not haram to have the Qur'an in our houses which has been divided in thirty parts and its alphabets marked by dots, and pronunciations made clear by adding fat'ha, kasra, and Dhamma etc. Again, we shall have to ponder whether it was lawful for the First Caliph and Third Caliph to unify the different qira'ats of Qur'an which were prevalent among the of the Prophet. Then we note that the Prophet never used paper notes in place of coins.

Is it not haram to use currency notes for charity, building Mosques and other good deeds? It is alleged, though we say it is wrong, that the Prophet did not appoint anybody as his successor, and it is known that he never entrusted this duty to anybody else. What will be the legal status of those Khulafa who were elected by people to carry on the work of Prophet after the death of the Prophet?