Days after an Islamic bride was allowed to enter a mosque for her marriage ceremony in Kozhikode, Kerala, the Paleri-Parakkadavu Mahal Committee announced on Friday that allowing the bride into the Mosque for marriage is not acceptable. The committee said that bride was allowed inside the Mosque by mistake and that no such conduct in the future will be tolerated.
Mahal Committee in Kerala refers to local Islamic organisation usually centred around a ‘jama masjid’ and ‘takes care’ of the local Muslim community. It also takes care of the administration of the local mosque.
The Parakkadav Juma Masjid in Kozhikode had permitted Kuttyadi native KS Umeer to get his daughter wedded on the premises around the Mosque. Umeer’s daughter Bahja Dalila got married to Fahad Qasim on July 30 after which the bride’s family asked the general secretary of the Mosque to allow Dalila inside the Mosque. According to the committee, the secretary granted the permission on his own, without consulting the senior authorities.
“Permission had been given for marriage outside the mosque. However, one of the office-bearers mistook it as the nod for the bride to be present inside the mosque. The person concerned has apologized for the mistake”, the committee was quoted. The Mahal Committee members also stated that the family of the bride had violated the norms, first by taking the daughter inside the Mosque and then clicking a series of photographs.
Holding the bride’s family responsible for the incident that took place after the wedding, the committee said that it would meet the concerned family to express displeasure over the incident. Reports mention that the committee will also create a thorough code of conduct for arranging weddings inside mosques and distribute it to mahal members.
The incident of a Mosque authority allowing a bride to enter inside the Mosque was lauded by many while Abdul Hameed Faizy, working secretary of Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS), described it as a new aberration in Islam, which was established by Jama’at-e-Islami and Mujahids.
Unfolding the incident, the groom’s uncle named Sanoop CH also said that the decision announced by the Mahal committee was surprising. “We thought that allowing bride inside the Mosque was leading to progress in the community. We had taken every permission before the function. It would be great if the committee rethinks its decision and starts adopting meaningful changes that bring good to society”, he was quoted as saying.
According to Islamic belief, women are generally not allowed to enter mosques. Meanwhile, KS Umeer, the father of the bride, said that both the families wanted daughter Dalila to witness her marriage at the Mosque. “Bahaja’s wedding became the first ceremony in our locality, where the bride was able to witness the ceremony inside the Mosque. It is high time that we discarded such practices that have no place in Islam. The brides, including my daughter, have the right to witness their wedding”, he said.
