Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

These days the Bohra community leaders are welcomed whereever they go, with lights and live bands playing hindi movie music .

It reminds me of the way the ganapatis are taken around with people walking behind, bands and crackers.Is this acceptable in Islam? also we do not yet know what our great Prophet looks like but every bohra home is full of photos of the past and present dais taken at various times and in different postures. Is this correct?

 (There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Bohra music reception and Dai photos

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol,  no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question:  These days the Bohra community leaders are welcomed whereever they go, with lights and live bands playing hindi movie music .  It reminds me of the way the ganapatis are taken around with people walking behind, bands and crackers.Is this acceptable in Islam?
Allah and His Messenger (saws) have declared the two days of Eid,  and every Friday as a day of celebrating the Praises of Allah Subhanah!   

But to pompously celebrate the arrival of any personality or religious leader,  with or without live bands and music,  is incorrect and against the principles of Islam.    The followers celebrate the arrival of their religious leader,  and perform great ceremonies in order to please their leaders!   Little do  they realize,  that these ceremonies and celebrations might be pleasing to their leaders;   but displeasing to the Lord of the Worlds!   Little do they realize that all the deeds that they do in pleasing their self-made leaders,  will ultimately lead to their ruin on the Day of Judgment!  

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 165-167:

There are people who set up equals and rivals with Allah and adore them with the adoration due to Allah!   Whereas the believers adore Allah most ardently.   Would that these transgressors could realize now what they will realize,  when they see the chastisement before them:  that power and authority wholly belong to Allah,  and that Allah is severe in punishment!   When He will inflict punishment,  those very leaders and guides whom they followed in the world will disown them.   But punishment they shall get and all their bonds shall be cut off.   Then those who followed them will say, “Would that we were given another chance to return to the world.   Then we will disown them just as they have disowned us today!”  Thus Allah will bring before them the deeds they did in the world in such a manner as to make them wring their hands in regret,  but they shall be unable to come out of the Fire.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 26 Surah Shuaraa verses 90-102:

(On the Day of Judgement),  Paradise will be brought close to the Righteous,  and Hell will be set open before the straying ones.   And they will be asked, “Where are those whom you worshipped instead of Allah?   Are they any help to you,  or even to themselves?”    Then those deities and those erring people,  and the hosts of Shaitaan,  all will be hurled into Hell,  one upon the other.   Therein they will dispute with one another,  and these erring people will say (to their deities): “By Allah!   We had certainly strayed when we held you equal in rank with the Lord of the Worlds;  and they were criminals who led us astray.   Now we have neither any ‘shafaa’,  nor any true friend!   Would that we were given a chance to return (to the world) so that we became believers.

Your Question:  also we do not yet know what our great Prophet looks like but every  bohra home is full of photos of the past and present dais taken at various times and in different postures. Is this correct?

The reason Allah and His Messenger (saws) have prohibited any type of images,  sculptures,  and pictures of animate beings….is to keep the believers far far away from idol and personality invocation and worship!   No one deserves our invocation and worship,  except the One and Only Lord of the Universe.

Not only do these people fill their walls with the photos of their self-made religious leaders,   they invoke them for everything,  they invoke their blessings when they enter the house,  and invoke them to protect them when they leave the house, etc.!       To invoke anyone other than Allah Subhanah is a clear and manifest form of the unforgiveable and heinous sin,  ‘shirk’!     The sin of ‘shirk’ is so heinous in the sight of Allah,  that He has Himself declared Paradise ‘haraam’ for those who die, while in the state of shirk!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72:

Whoever commits ‘shirk’ (invoking anything with Allah),  Allah shall forbid for him Paradise,  and Hell shall be his abode.  And for such wrong doers there will be no one to help.

Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48

Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this.  For whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin

Besides,  the keeping of animate photos or images in the house is absolutely prohibited for the believers,  by the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4140  Narrated by Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.)

The Prophet (saws) said: “The angels do not enter a house which contains a picture, a dog, or a man who is impure by sexual defilement.”

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.165         Narrated by Hadrat Ibn Abbas (r.a.)

The Prophet said, "Whoever makes a picture, will be punished on the Day of Resurrection, and will be ordered to put a soul in that picture, which he will not be able to do."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.428         Narrated by Hadrat Said bin Abu Al Hasan (r.a.)

While I was with Ibn 'Abbas a man came and said, "O father of 'Abbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures." Ibn 'Abbas said, "I will tell you only what I heard from Allah's Apostle (saws). I heard him saying, 'Whoever makes a picture will be punished by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.' " Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. Ibn 'Abbas said to him, "What a pity! If you insist on making pictures I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan