Muslim sub-sects’ row lands in HC

A dispute between two sub-sects of Sunnis in Bhuj of Kutch district over sacrifice of sheep has landed in the Gujarat High Court.

The court wa`s moved after Ahl-e-Sunnat-Val-Jamat lodged an FIR against Lajatul-u-Ulema-Ahl-e-Hadish and its religious leader.

The whole issue is centred over the interpretation of sayings of Quran and Hadish during rituals at the time of sacrifice of sheep for different religious purposes. The issue cropped up in January this year when a religious leader of Ahl-e-Hadish wrote a letter to the religious leader of Sunnat Jamat, alleging that they were following the ritual of Niyaz ki Zibh (slaughtering of sheep for some purpose) contrary to tenets of Islam.

Ahl-e-Hadish said in the letter that one can't name anyone other than Allah, as per the sayings of Quran, while performing the ritual. It suggested that the Sunnat Jamat change its interpretation of Quran during the ritual. The letter asked if the way Sunnat Jamat was making sacrifices in the name of Pir and Wali had been mandated by Allah.

After receiving a reply from the religious leader of Sunnat Jamat, saying that they were following and performing the ritual as per their own  beliefs, Ahl-e-Hadish wrote again another letter to them. Leaders of the Sunnat Jamat took exception to the contents of the second letter and lodged a complaint against Ahl-e-Hadis and its religious leader, Maulana Suleiman, for trying to hurt religious sentiments by asking questions that can flare up passions between different communities.

After the FIR was lodged, a leader of Ahl-e-Hadish approached the Gujarat high court to quash the police complaint. Hashim Qureshi, counsel for Hadish, made his submission during the two-day-long hearing before the high court which concluded on Wednesday.