Years back, during the month of Ramadhan our mother would leave home early mornings and come back after an hour or two-wet eyed, sobbing and praying. There would be a new naat, a new manqabat or a new couplet on her lips. She would recount to us what she had learnt at a waaz mehfil by Maulana Farooq, the late Mirwaiz of Kashmir. We would recite with her the rhyming couplets…
Mout chui sih tai—— kotu mali chalezai or Khodaya rehmatai dariyaei aamai. Not just during Ramadhan but on all important Islamic days and dates our mother would faithfully attend the waaz and come back home with stories of faith and truth. This is how we learnt about Jange Badr and Jange Uhud, about Sayyidah Ayesha and Khadijah, about Mairaj, about Heaven and Hell. She would sing for us the praises of Khulfai Rashideen…Abu Bakro, Umar, Uthman u Haider, chirago masjid-o -mehraab and mimber–. My mother would take me to Jamia Masjid many times and in the area earmarked for women we would sit, pray and listen to the powerful waaz of Mirwaiz. Knowing that he was addressing women many of whom were illiterate, he would make them repeat every dua, every couplet and every Quranic verse that would be a part of his waaz. Untimely martyrdom of Mirwaiz and turmoil disintegrated downtown so much that such educative gatherings especially for women are a rare occurrence nowadays. The fear looming over downtown, frequent shutting of Jamia Masjid and migration of a large population from downtown nearly closed such a powerful indigenous medium for Islamic education of women. Kudos to these great preachers who successfully carried forward the mission of Islamic education of women of Srinagar. The Astans and Khankahs of Srinagar too were stress busters for women where they would relieve their burden of pain and stress. There was usually a space for women in all religious places. There were community-based methods in place to impart Islamic education to women and children.
Now look at the contrast in the present day Kashmir. Mosques have mushroomed everywhere- in colonies, in dry lands, wet-lands, on river banks, busy streets and bazaars. But most of them are devoid of a little space where women could pray. I wonder if women of yesterday were more important than today’s women. Women need an outlet, a space to exercise their faith-leave aside a place where religion would be taught. I wish I could go back to my mother’s time and recount to my kids the stories of faith and hope the same way my mother did. Agreed, going to a mosque is not mandatory for a woman, but there is no harm if she wants to go. The orthodox Saudi Arabia and Iran have ensured a place in the mosques for women to pray.
There are madrasas, maktabas, and darululooms in Srinagar mainly focusing on Islamic education of underprivileged kids mostly from far flung areas. We seem to have left the job of acquiring Islamic knowledge to the under-privileged. There are a few madrasas imparting Islamic education to adult Muslims as well. These centres may give you ‘Hufaaz and Muftis’ but what about the Islamic education of our school going children? Baring a few maktabas for Quranic rote learning there is nothing in Srinagar that we can look up to. Leave aside women; there is no centre for imparting Islamic education to children in Kashmir. We pride ourselves in having an ever-growing number of private schools, which have only bent the backs of our kids. Why isn’t there an excellent center in Kashmir where kids would be taught Islam? Is it not the duty of society-a society that prides itself in its religion to have a wholesome Islamic centre in Kashmir where religion is not separated from science and sports, where religion is not separated from day to day life, where religion and morality are fused, where there is no gap between what is said and what is done? What about Waqf board-the custodian of our wealth? Why hasn’t it initiated establishment of a centre for Islamic learning which would ensure overall development of children and encourage acquisition of Islamic knowledge with critical thinking?
Perhaps the only attempt at having a mosque for females is by Mr. Habibullah Khanyari in the courtyard of Makhdoom Sahib Shrine. He has established Masjid Ayesha, a beautiful structure where women can pray. But, no other philanthropist has repeated this feat.
It is the time we understood the universality of Islam. Islam is for all-men, women and children. It is in the interest of the society to create vibrant centres for Islamic teaching and learning. For example, why can’t an Islamic centre have a swimming pool? Why can’t it have a tennis court? The immigrants from Islamic countries to US and UK have created beautiful Islamic centres where faith is practised and issues related to religion, politics and humanity are discussed. Our own son of soil, Prof.Faroque Khan has created one of the best Islamic centres in New York named Islamic Center of Long Island which has greatly helped the immigrant Muslims to practice their faith.
This Ramadhan open the doors of your mosques for women, give them space too, help in the establishment of schools where the message of Islam is put into the hearts and heads of our children with the stress on understanding the language and the message of Quran and Hadith. Let us not put the burden of our religion just on the underprivileged. Let us learn how our forefathers created ways and means to impart religious education to entire community. Let us do ourselves this favour.
P.S-Sunshades in Hazratbal do not suffice the needs of Kashmiri Muslims, there is much more waqf Board is expected to do.