Massive tensions erupted in the city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra on Wednesday, June 7, amid peaceful protest by Hindu organisations against people who posted social media stories praising Aurangzeb and Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan on the glorious day when the state celebrated the 350th Rajyabhishek Day of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The police had to resort to lathi-charge and tear gas shells after the peaceful protest organised by several Hindu organisations was attacked by Islamists who pelted stones at the protesters. According to the local reports, the fight between the two groups happened after the Hindus were attacked by the miscreants.
“Some organisations had called for a Kolhapur bandh and the members of these organisations gathered at Shivaji Chowk today. After their demonstration ended, the crowd began to disperse but some miscreants started pelting stones, forcing police to use force against these people to disperse them,” Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit was quoted as saying.
Following the Islamist attack against Hindus, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said a riot-like situation was created in Kolhapur because of elements who like to glorify Aurangzeb.
“Some politicians had been saying that there could be a riot-like situation in the state. Responding to the comments of these leaders, youths of a particular community showcased pictures of Aurangzeb. They also glorified Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan. It cannot be a mere coincidence. “Why suddenly these images have been displayed in various districts of Maharashtra? It does not happen easily or automatically. As it cannot be a mere coincidence, we will have to dig deeper into this matter,” he said. “After his statement, some youth there glorified Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan, and there comes a reaction. Is there a connection between the statement and the incidents? We are conducting a probe into who is glorifying Aurangzeb and who is provoking people to do so. Once the probe is over, I will reveal those things,” he further said.
Later speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fadnavis said suddenly Aurangzeb’s “auladein” (progenies) have taken birth in Maharashtra but the government will find out the people responsible for creating the law and order situation. “Displaying Aurangzeb’s photos and keeping a mobile status (on Tipu Sultan); this is creating tension in society. We will find the real culprits who are deliberately disturbing the law and order and defaming the state,” he said.
Responding to these statements, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out at Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis in a speech at Hyderabad, Telangana.
“Maharashtra’s Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said “Aurangzeb ke aulaad”. Do you know everything? I didn’t know you (Devendra Fadnavis) were such an expert. Then call out Godse’s & Apte’s offspring, who are they?”, says AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on “Where do these sons of Aurangzeb come from…”, he said.
#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana | "Maharashtra's Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said “Aurangzeb ke aulaad”. Do you know everything? I didn't know you (Devendra Fadnavis) were such an expert. Then call out Godse's & Apte’s offspring, who are they?", says AIMIM chief Asaduddin… pic.twitter.com/vrnCH7g4eq
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2023
Owaisi essentially took offence to Devendra Fadnavis calling the Islamists who pelted stones at Hindus as the offsprings of tyrant Aurangzeb, who massacred millions of Hindus and converted several more. Considering that Owaisi took this to be an insult from Devendra Fadnavis, one would imagine that Owaisi denounces Aurangzeb as a tyrant who massacred Hindus and is therefore offended that current Indian Muslims, even those who pelt stones at Hindus and celebrate Aurangzeb were compared to the tyrant.
However, is that truly what Owaisi believes or even what Indian Muslims believe?
To understand the undying connection between Indian Muslims and Aurangzeb, one does not have to look at history, ancient of contemporary. One only has to understand the words spoken by one of the foremost representatives of Muslims, a veteran lawyer, a parliamentarian and an Islamic scholar – Asaduddin Owaisi himself.
A debate between senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi was organised at the Arth Cultural Fest in Delhi on the topic of “Are India’s Constitutional Values Really Under Threat?” The event is from 2020 where the discussion was moderated by J Sai Deepak. In a 2-minute portion of the discussion between J Sai Deepak and Asaduddin Owaisi, Owaisi himself admitted that most Indian Muslims follow the school of thought of Aurangzeb.
In this discussion, J Sai Deepak tells Owaisi that everything that relates to Islam necessarily comes from a Book and commentaries that did not originate in India. He asked Owaisi if that would be a correct statement to make.
Owaisi first denied that statement. He immediately asked where Fatwa-e-Alamgiri was written. He then says, “Do you believe that the Islamic law is only Quran and Sunnah? No. It is Quran, it is Sunnah, it is the Fatwas given. Then you have schools of thought – Hanafi, Shafai, Malaki, then you have Fatwa-e-Alamgiri – there are so many books”.
He was then asked by J Sai Deepak what was the basis of these books and these schools of thought. Then, came the clincher. He said, “Majority of Indian Muslims are Hanafi. We follow Fatwa-e-Alamgiri”. When asked what the basis of Fatwa-e-Alamgiri was, Owaisi defeats his own argument and admits that it was based on the Quran and Sunnah.
While Owaisi got elaborately owned in this segment of the discussion, that is not the purpose of this article. Essentially, one needs to focus on a specific statement made by him in this exchange. He said, “Majority of Indian Muslims are Hanafi. We follow Fatwa-e-Alamgiri”.
It is pertinent to note that Fatawa-e-Alamgiri is a treatise authored by Aurangzeb wherein he outlines the ideal form of Sharia for all subcontinental Muslims and non-Muslims as well.
In order to compile Fatawa-e-Alamgiri, emperor Aurangzeb gathered 500 experts in Islamic jurisprudence, 300 from South Asia, 100 from Iraq and 100 from the Hejaz. Shaikh Nizam, a celebrated lawyer from Lahore was appointed the chairman of the commission which would compile the Fatawa-e-Alamgiri. The years-long work of these scholars resulted in an Islamic code of law for South Asia, in the late Mughal Era. It consists of legal code on personal, family, slaves, war, property, inter-religious relations, transactions, taxation, economic and other law for a range of possible situations and their juristic rulings by the faqīh of the time. In fact, it is documented that the Fatwa-e-Alamgiri even has elaborate instructions on how Muslim men can keep and treat slaves.
The Fatawa-e-Alamgiri (also spelt Fatawa al-Alamgiriyya) was compiled in the late 17th century, by 500 Muslim scholars from Medina, Baghdad and in the Indian Subcontinent, in Delhi (India) and Lahore (Pakistan), led by Sheikh Nizam Burhanpuri. It was a creative application of Islamic law within the Hanafi fiqh. It restricted the powers of the Muslim judiciary and the Islamic jurists’ ability to issue discretionary fatwas.
Essentially, Owaisi has admitted that most Indian Muslims, in fact, a majority of them, follow the school of thought that was established by Aurangzeb. Therefore, if the majority of Muslims follow the law established by Aurangzeb, it is certain that Owaisi feels no shame while being called the progeny of the Islamic emperor. Therefore, for Owaisi to take offence at being called the lineage of Aurangzeb is perhaps only for optics, because it is evident that “majority Indian Muslims”, per the admission of Owaisi, proudly follow the religious laws laid down by him.
