An undated video of a Muslim cleric allegedly spitting after allegedly reciting a surah, or Muslim prayers, in water bottles held by his zealous followers has been going viral on the internet. Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen shared the video of a presumably Bangladeshi Muslim cleric who could be seen spitting as scores of his Muslim followers jostled to hold their water bottles to him for him to spit into them.
“A mullah is reciting a surah and then spitting or blowing on the water, giving it to people who believe that this water is holy, and by drinking it, they will be free from diseases and troubles. the mullah is clever, and the disciples are fools,” Nasreen tweeted along with the video.
A mullah is reciting a surah and then spiting or blowing on the water, giving it to people believe that this water is holy, and by drinking it, they will be free from diseases and troubles. the mullah is clever, and the disciples are fools. pic.twitter.com/06wgj1oamq
— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) November 12, 2024
The significance of spitting in Islam: How it can ‘ward off Satan’
Food hygiene has recently gained prominence on social media, particularly due to viral videos showing people contaminating food with urine, saliva, and other substances, and for those who regard personal hygiene and cleanliness as something that is uncompromisable but that doesn’t appear to be the case for the Muslim devotees seen in the above video, who eagerly line up to get their water spat into by a Muslim cleric, possibly driven by the belief that his spit would cure them of their illness and enrich their religious pursuits. As such, in Islam, spitting carries a special meaning, especially, to ward off the ‘evil spirit’ or ‘Satan’.
According to various Hadiths, spitting in a particular manner can ward off bad dreams and even the interference of Satan (Shaitaan) himself. According to Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 513, spitting to your left is a way to be safe from bad dreams. It says that the Prophet of Islam said: “A good dream is from Allah, and a bad or evil dream is from Satan; so if any of you has a bad dream of which he gets afraid, he should spit on his left side and should seek Refuge with Allah from its evil, for then it will not harm him.”
This also gets credence in Sahih Muslim, Book 026, Number 5463 which says that spitting to your left three times stops the interference of Satan.
Uthman b. Abu al-‘As reported that he came to Allah’s Messenger and said: “Allah’s Messenger, Satan intervenes between me and my prayer and my reciting of the Qur’an and he confounds me. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: That is (the doing of Satan) who is known as Khinzab, and when you perceive its effect, seek refuge with Allah from it and spit three times to your left. I did that and Allah dispelled that from me.”
Though Muslims not only have no qualms with their religious leaders spitting in their food and water as clearly evident in the above video, they also tend to link it to divinity, the Uttar Pradesh government under Yogi Adityanath had been mulling over enforcing strict laws to ensure food is not contaminated with spitting, urine, or other unsanitary items. A report published last month said the Yogi Adityanath administration was all set to bring a new law that would grant every consumer the “right to know essential information” about food and beverage sellers and service providers.
