On the website of Darul Uloom in Deoband, a slew of inquiries seeks solutions from Deobandi school to some of the world’s most pressing Islamic concerns. These questions cover a wide range of topics, from working for Paytm to wearing a Kurta with a Bar Code. These questions are premised on the Shariah principles of Haram and Halal, which respectively mean Illegitimate and Legitimate. Here are a few of the most common questions.
Job’s salary is halal or not?
Someone inquired whether his income is Halal or Haram because he works in the oil and gas department at Paytm. According to the response, Paytm appropriates interest money from the RBI, and one should not accept money that is obtained from some interest as per Sharia. Darul Uloom advised the person to find a different job and quit Paytm.
Regarding fake attendance signature
An engineering student inquired about the legality of proxy attendance in college. The reply said that according to Shariah, it is not permissible to mark phony attendance or have it done by someone else. This is clearly a fraud and cheating, and both the person who marks bogus attendance and the one who gets it done is a sinner.
Prize bond money redemption
A perplexed person from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, inquired regarding the redemption of reward money. He was told that Prize is a form of gambling and that he should avoid it.
Do angels enter a house having I card?
A totally different dilemma arose with Angels, namely if they arrive at a residence with Identity cards containing photographs. Surprisingly, even though Sharia prohibits photography, the answer stated that Identity cards are required, therefore angels will enter a house even if it has identity cards, however, they will not enter houses with photographs.
Create fake email ID to download software
An IT employee wanted his concerns to be addressed about utilizing bogus email accounts to improve the ranking of his company’s software. He was admonished that deceit is a sin that must not be committed under any circumstances.
Stealing filtered drinking water from office!
A parent asked whether he may transport purified water from his office to his house for his child. The answer was not entirely in his favor, as it said that carrying water is only legal if the corporation offers it to the staff.
Is Camera phone allowed
One person asked if it is allowed to use a phone with a camera to take photos or videos. Darul Uloom replied that using phone is allowed as it is only a communication device. However, Muslims are not allowed to use the camera in the phone as photography of living beings is not allowed in Islam. They said that therefore taking photo or video of living beings is not allowed.
Mobile recharging and commission on it
One person wanted to know if mobile recharging haram or halal, because the company gives 2 or 3% commission on recharging someone’s mobile. The reply was that mobile recharging is allowed, and taking the commission on it is also allowed.
There are a plethora of such questions on the website. Darul Uloom Deoband, India owns this website, which is dedicated to Islamic questions and fatwas.
About Darul Uloom Deoband
Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic seminary (Darul Uloom) in India that is the birthplace of the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement. It is situated in Deoband, a town in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district. Deoband is famous for issuing controversial Fatwas for a long. In May 2010, clerics from a Deobandi school issued a fatwa declaring that men and women cannot work in public offices together unless the ladies are appropriately clad.
Deobandi Islam is said to be the most popular type of teaching in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and numerous major Afghan and Pakistani Taliban commanders are said to have studied at Deobandi seminaries. According to some estimates, 15 to 25% of Pakistani Sunnis identify as Deobandi. Terrorist organizations in Pakistan, such as the TTP, SSP, and LeJ, take their inspiration from the Deobandi doctrine. Furthermore, the Deobandi Islamic movement is supported by the vast majority of Bangladeshi Sunni Muslims.
The Taliban Connection of Deoband and Darul Uloom
It is worth mentioning that the Taliban, which has lately come to prominence and effectively controls Afghanistan, is inspired by the Deobandi movement. The Taliban is described in Wikipedia as a Deobandi Islamist movement and a military group in Afghanistan involved in waging jihad within the country.
Not just Wikipedia, but an article published in the New York Times in 2002 underlined the Taliban’s relationship with the UP town of Deoband. The article “Indian town’s seed grew into the Taliban code” explored how extreme Islamist doctrine that sprouted in a town in Uttar Pradesh went on to inspire the jihadist movement on the other side of the Durand Line, which separates Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Though the questions on the website appear to be amusing and frivolous, the seminary’s past convinces us that they are not trivial and may have severe implications. The Taliban connection of Darul Uloom and the subscription of their beliefs among key terrorist groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region should not be underestimated, since atrocities by the Taliban in Afghanistan and Islamic terror attacks like 26/11 will never be forgotten.
