Triple-talaq remark: Ajmer Dargah diwan’s brother lays claim to post
Alimi claimed he took the step on the basis of an oral fatwa by a mufti, who told him that Zainul Abedin Khan had turned into a ‘murtad’ by violating the principles of the Hanfi school of Islamic thoughts.
A day after Ajmer Dargah diwan Zainul Abedin Khan asked fellow-Muslims to shun the controversial triple-talaq practice, his younger brother on Wednesday laid claim to the position of the shrine’s spiritual head.
Sayed Alludin Alimi said he assumed office in front of the Murusi Alma, a hereditary contingent of people in service of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty. “By declaring triple-talaq as anti-Islamic and against the Sharia, he (Khan) has ceased to be a Hanfi Muslim. He has lost the right to continue as the diwan of Ajmer Dargah because one needs to be a Sunni and Hanfi Muslim for that,” he added.
Alimi claimed he took the step on the basis of an oral fatwa by a mufti, who told him that Khan had turned into a murtad (a person not belonging to the Hanfi community) by violating the principles of the Hanfi school of Islamic thoughts. “We consulted ten different muftis from various states to get their opinion,” he added.
However, Khan claimed this was just his brother’s ploy to siphon funds from the monetary offerings received by the Ajmer Dargah. He also hit back by removing Alimi from the post of secretary at his office, and appointing his own son in his place.
“I have removed Alimi from the post because he has not participated in dargah rituals for a long time now,” the diwan said.
Khan also questioned the locus standi of Alimi’s action. “This office is hereditary and nobody can challenge its authority, as decided by the Supreme Court judgment passed on September 8, 1987,” he said.
The diwan had asked Muslims on Tuesday to shun the triple-talaq practice and stop eating beef, as mandated by the BJP government in the state.