‘Islam teaches cleanliness, isolations even in prayers’

President Masood urges clerics to struggle for revival of lost socio-political status of mosques

MUZAFFARABAD: Azaj Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has called upon the religious scholars to struggle for the revival of the lost socio-political status of the mosque, and to once again turn it into a social unit.

"Over the centuries, the mosques have served as the sacred houses where important decisions related to politics, governance, and the Muslim socio-economic developments have been made," he said.

President Masood expressed these views while talking to a delegation of religious scholars who called on him in Muzaffarabad on Wednesday under the leadership of All Jammu and Kashmir Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Mufti Qazi Mehmoodul Hassan Ashraf. The delegation included Maulana Abdul Ghafoor, Maulana Qazi Manzoorul Hassan and Maulana Abdul Malick Siddiqui Advocate.

The AJK president said that the standards of purity, worship, and isolation had been set by no other religion but Islam.

"Ablution and cleanliness for worship, and isolation for Etkaf and Tahajjud set golden principles for a pleasant life, and if these principles along with five-time prayer are made part of daily life, a strong and stable relationship establishes between Allah The Almighty and the man," he said, adding, “These principles are also prerequisite to live a peaceful and prosperous life.”

'India wants to remove Kashmir from global agenda'

He prevailed upon the religious scholars to convince philanthropists and well-off people to help the poor and vulnerable. President Masood also urged the religious scholars to persuade the people to celebrate Eidul Fitr in a simple manner in view of the situation created by coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown.

He said that at present the Islamic ideology is confronted with a big challenge in the region because the Indian imperialism had specifically made the followers of Islam target and is killing them. “The youth are being whipped and tortured to death, but ‘All the Praise for Allah’, this terrorism by the Hindu fanatic had awakened the Arab world, and several countries including the UAE and Kuwait have conveyed to India to give up its anti-Muslim policies.

On this occasion, Mufti Mehmoodul Hassan reiterated the demand for effective representation of religious scholars in all constitutional institutions including the Council of Islamic Ideology, Public Service Commission and Central Zakat Council etc. He also demanded to appoint some retired or sitting judges of the superior judiciary to the office of chairman Zakat Council.