Why the name ‘Satanic Verses’ offends Muslims- MOHAMMED WAJIHUDDIN ( TOI Aug 20, 2022, 06.40 AM IST)

 Why the name ‘Satanic Verses’ offends Muslims- 

MOHAMMED WAJIHUDDIN  (TOI Aug 20, 2022)

The murderous attack on Salman Rushdie at a literary event in New York recently has initiated fresh debate on the Mumbai-born author’s 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses. The fact that 24-year-old Hadi Matar attacked Rushdie, 75, with an intention to kill shows the book still rankles many Muslims more than 30 years after its publication. Though it is not clear if Iran’s then leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s fatwa of death (1989)

against Rushdie influenced Matar, it is important to understand why the book’s very title – leaving aside its many characters resembling revered Muslim figures – disturbs the community.

Story Of The Quran

Quran – the book containing God’s revelations to Prophet Muhammad – was revealed through the archangel Gabriel over 23 years. Muhammad himself didn’t write the verses as he didn’t know how to read and write. According to tradition, his companions memorised the verses as he recited, and wrote them on different materials like cloth, bone fragments and leather. The Quran was compiled into a book during the time of the first caliph, Abu Bakr. Under the third caliph, Uthman, a committee of scribes compiled it in the Qurysh dialect of Arabic for uniformity in recitation. After verification, this became the standard version, and older copies of the text were destroyed to avoid future conflicts.

Origin Of Satanic Verses

The row over the ‘satanic verses’ is not new, nor is Rushdie its originator. Orientalist Sir William Muir (1819-1905) in his book Life of Mahomet (1858) first used the term ‘satanic verses’ on the basis of his readings of some earlier scholars of Islam who had mentioned a certain episode in the life of Muhammad. So, the satanic verses are part of an Islamic memory handed down the centuries by historians, biographers and scholars. Historians such as Ibn Ishaq, Al-Tabari and Ibn Saad, on the basis of a chain of stories that got transmitted to them, mention the alleged episode that continues to be a source of discomfiture for the ummah (community).

Mention Of Goddesses

Lat, Uzza and Manat were revered ancient goddesses of pre-Islamic Arabia. Scholars such as Al-Tabari and Ibn Saad mention that Muhammad, under the inspiration of Satan (chief of devils), added two verses praising Lat, Uzza and Manat, in the course of reciting the Quran. The Qurysh of Mecca, who had not converted to Islam and were at the Kaaba precinct where, as they claimed, Muhammad praised their deities through two verses, saw it as endorsement of their reverence to the deities. According to some accounts, Muhammad fi rst recit

ed this verse: “Have you really considered al-Lat and al-Uzza, and the third one, Manat? (53:19, 20). ” And then he allegedly added the line: “These are beautiful and lofty birds and there is hope of intercession from them. ” The Prophet allegedly won instant admiration from the idolaters since he “praised” their deities. However, according to this narration, archangel Gabriel came to the Prophet the same evening and told him that he had recited something that God never sent and that Satan had whispered these words to him. Subsequently, some ‘admonishing verses’ (17:73-75) were revealed. When Muhammad got very worried, Gabriel brought him a ‘consoling verse’: “Whenever we sent any messenger or prophet before you, and he recitedanything (of our revelation), Satan tampered with it. But God abrogates Satan’s interjections and then he firmly reaffirms his revelations. God is all-knowing and allwise (22:52). ”

Scholars Reject Episode

The ‘satanic verses’, which praise Lat, Uzza and Manat, are neither in the Quran nor in the Hadiths (sayings of Muhammad). Contemporary Muslim scholars vehemently reject the story claiming that the fi nite and infallible Prophet could have done no wrong. “The whole idea of the Prophet praising these deities fl ies in the face of monotheistic Islam. Writers like Al-Tarabi recorded stories which didn’t reach them from primary sources,” says Indo-Islamic scholar and writer Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi.

Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali maintains the local Meccan tribes were estranged from Muhammad and they spread the rumour that he praised their deities as part of a reconciliation process when they heard him mention their goddesses. Islamic scholar Farida Khanum is translating an Urdu book of her father, noted Islamic scholar late Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.

The book carries a chapter on the ‘satanic verses’ episode, where Khan writes that Muhammad never praised the deities. He says the mushraqeen (idolators), who were also present at the meeting in Mecca, added this sentence to the Quranic verses when they heard the names of their deities from Muhammad. “No Muslim school of thought or sect accepts that the Prophet ever committed such a mistake. But the enemies of Islam keep resurrecting it for their ulterior motives,” says All India Ulema Council’s Maulana Mahmood Daryabadi. “Rushdie is one of them. ”

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/why-the-name-satanic-verses-offends-muslims/articleshow/93669319.cms

Songs of freedom: On the making of ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ (published in The Hindu 12-08-22)

 A little over three decades ago, I worked at Ogilvy and Mather (O&M) Advertising, Madras, as a film executive. During my time there, I assisted in the making of two iconic films on national integration — Spread the Light of Freedom (also known as the Torch Song or Freedom Run), and Mile Sur. The first film shows famous sports personalities running while carrying a lit torch, passed from hand-to-hand, till it reaches the hands of little children. The visuals shot all over India, were set against a rousing soundtrack which gradually built up to a crescendo, ending with the final notes of our cherished National Anthem

When it was first aired on August 15, 1987 it took the country by storm. Suddenly it was ‘cool’ to be Indian. This was exactly what the then Government led by Rajiv Gandhi was trying to achieve. Tired of the uninspiring films churned out by conventional production companies, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting decided they needed something modern and soul-stirring, and the Torch of Freedom was born.

This film was conceptualised by the brilliant Suresh Mullick who was then Creative Head of O&M, who was partnered by Kailash Surendranath of Far Productions. High on the unprecedented success of the film, Suresh and Kailash put their heads together to create a worthy successor the following year. Once again, they decided to follow the winning formula of a music track culminating with the last notes of our national anthem.

The making of ‘Mile Sur’

But this time, they chose the Indian classical route. The lyrics were a collaborative effort by the late Vinod Sharma and Piyush Pandey; simple and memorable, they would not get lost in translation.

‘Mile sur mera tumhara, toh sur bane hamara

Sur ki nadiya har disha se beheke sagar mein mile

Baadalon ka roop leke barse halke halke’

The soundtrack was recorded first. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was to sing for about two minutes, but went on for 40. Kailash and the sound recordist had the task of cutting that performance down to the required 50 seconds. That final edit was the seed from which the rest of the track grew. It was sent to M Balamuralikrishna, Louis Banks, and PP Vaidyanathan. Louis and Vaidyanathan had to flesh out the rest of the track in the various Indian languages and create the transitions. Kavita Krishnamurthy sang on the guide track, and Lata Mangeshkar sang her part over it later. Kavita’s voice was retained for some actors, and Poornima Shreshtha did some parts too.

I got a call from Suresh Mullick, requesting my help for the Madras leg of the production. I had just 10 days in hand. We managed to bring together KR Vijaya, Revathy, Ramanathan Krishnan, AV Ramanan, cricketer Venkataraghavan, Pratap Pothen and a couple of others. SP Balasubramaniam was away on tour and couldn’t participate. Balamuralikrishna also confirmed his presence. But one person remained elusive.

Enter Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan was the most sought-after star at that point of time. Nayakan had swept every award worth having the previous year, and Kamal had won the National award for the title role. Suresh’s every call would end with ‘get Kamal Haasan’.

After tracking Kamal down and meeting him on the sets of Unnaal Mudiyum Thambi, the shoot was fixed at Fisherman’s Cove. Balamuralikrishna’s shot was at sunrise. He was ready for us at 3.30 am! In the afternoon, the remaining stars reported to the location. Kamal was the last to arrive, and politely waited his turn. There was a little unplanned entertainment when he took off his black tee-shirt to try on a white one belonging to Kailash. For the final shot though, he wore his own. That wrapped up the Madras section.

Of beaches and camels

I got to speak to Kailash at length to get tidbits about the rest of the shoot through the length and breadth of India. As with the Torch film, the cinematographer was RM Rao. The first shot was of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, sitting by a waterfall in Khandala. In keeping with the lyrics, many of the sequences — Mallika Sarabhai, Shabana, Tanuja, Waheeda Rehman, Sharmila Tagore, Mario Miranda.. were shot on a beach or riverside. There were also some stunning aerial shots; Suresh Mullick used his connections with the Air Force to hire a helicopter to shoot the Taj Mahal. No drones back then!

There was no script. It would be the sur and geet.. lip-synched by famous personalities in the language of the State they belonged to.

Piyush Pandey (today Chief Creative Officer Worldwide) helped organise the shot of camels by a well in Rajasthan and Vicky Bangera, my counterpart in Mumbai took on the challenge of getting the Hindi film stars on board. Mithun Chakravarthy playfully agreed to come only if Amitabh Bachchan would too. Jeetendra joined them. Shabana Azmi, Hema Malini and the cast members of Tamas were shot at Film City.

Lata Mangeshkar charmed everyone by arriving in a white sari with a green and orange border. In one more nod to the Torch film, the final shot of Mile Sur again featured school children from Ooty. A significant detail: the main crew, musicians, celebrities, everyone participated free of charge. However, the technical assistants, studios, travel and production costs were covered by the I&B Ministry.

Looking back

‘Mile Sur’ was first aired on Doordarshan on August 15 1988. We were elated by the response to the Torch film, but euphoric at the reaction to Mile Sur. I was immensely fortunate to have got a chance to work on both. 34 years later, it is still played on some channel or the other every Republic Day or Independence Day.

Today, I write this to honour some of those who have passed on - Suresh Mullick, PP Vaidyanathan, Pratap Pothen, and Vicky Bangera among others. The film’s three main singers, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Balamuralikrishna, and Lata Mangeshkar are longer with us, but their voices will live on for years to come 

(Geeta John - the writer- runs an interior design practice in Bengaluru and dabbles in film styling, writing and playback singing)

https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/making-of-mile-sur-75-years-of-independence/article65753319.ece

फ़िराक़ पर दैनिक जागरण 3/3/20

NOW I KNOW BETTER- Does love diminish when you love more people? Are prayers wasted when they are for others?

NOW I KNOW BETTER - OZONE- TIMESLIFE
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/O-zone/now-i-know-better/

Does love diminish when you love more people? Are prayers wasted when they are for others? Is there a limit to the amount of work you can do?

I used to think that love gets diminished when you start loving more people – that we have only a limited amount of the emotion, which we should be very careful in dispensing. I would worry about divided loyalties and being fair to all those you love. Often, I wondered about women who had multiple children and how little love each child must be getting!

Now I know better. I know for sure that love expands to include more. The more you love, the bigger your heart’s capacity for the emotion becomes. That was a very interesting lesson learnt. The greatest epiphany was when I had my second child. Worried about being equally loving and caring to my second offspring, I soon realized that love just flows endlessly from some infinite source that we are unaware of till we tap it.

I was reminded of my childhood doubts while watching ‘Anne with an E’ when Miss Stacy tells her besotted student Anne, “Love is not quantifiable and therefore not finite. If you love another, it has no impact on your love for the first… But love is not indestructible… If love is not cherished and nurtured, it can indeed be lost.”

How true! Love does not hang around indefinitely waiting for nourishment. Love needs to know that it is cherished, welcomed and appreciated. Love demands love, and in the absence of appreciation, dwindles, shrivels and may even fade away, becoming a distant memory. Loving others and being loved back gives us an unparalleled sense of well-being and a rare confidence. We all cherish those who love us because of how they make us feel. If love demands love, it begets love in equal measure too.

***
I used to think that there must be a limit to the number of prayers that get answered. I would worry that praying for another would use up my own quota, and would marvel at those who said, ‘I will pray for you,’ secretly deciding that they would never do so! I knew the thought seemed deformed and somewhat unnatural seeing that praying and spirituality are all about the oneness of the Universe and the free flow of love and prayers. And yet, I worried…

Now I know better. The more you pray the more you are blessed. And when you pray selflessly for others, you are blessed many times over. It is a Christian duty to pray for one another; Muslims love each other and pray for the love of Allah. Hindu prayers require sincerity and purity of thought and intention, and a prayer that is selfless and meant for the welfare of the world and others is even better. Priests pray to the Gods on behalf of devotees. In our scriptures, even Hindu Gods pray to each other for the welfare of the world and people.
***
I used to think that there is a limit to the amount of work you can do. That work is dependent on the number of hours in the day and the amount of energy you have. I would worry when too many things piled up and, in that anxiety, end up not able to achieve half that I would have done with a cool mind.

Now I know better. The amount of work that can be achieved is all a matter of organization and being able to distance yourself from the little tasks in order to gear yourself towards the ones that require immediate attention. Multi-tasking for me is taking on several tasks, but focusing on them one at a time. It is about being able to train and delegate, about trusting and allowing others to grow too… And then you can take on as much work as you like, and stretch time beyond limit.

There is no limit to the amount of love, prayer, forgiveness and work that you can achieve in life. Life and experience teach us to let go a little in order to gain a lot, become selfless in order to gain something for your own self. What you let go with good intention and sincerity, comes back to bless you several times over. And that is true liberation of the soul….

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