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Moose Wala’s latest song: ‘Vaar’ causes stir, top Punjab cleric clears controversy
The Muslim community has questioned the reference to name “Muhammad” in the song. Soon after the controversy, Moose Wala’s father Balkour Singh talked with Punjab’s Shahi Imam.
Slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s second posthumously released song Vaar, which talks about the bravery of Sikh general Hari Singh Nalwa, has landed in a controversy after certain members of the Muslim community raised objections to the lyrics.
The Muslim community has questioned the reference to “Muhammad” in this song. It has been learnt, that soon after the controversy Moose Wala’s father Balkour Singh talked with the Punjab’s Shahi Imam Maulana Muhammad Usman Ludhianvi and gave an explanation on Wednesday.
Ludhianvi said that the word “Muhammad” was used in the Vaar song of Moose Wala, and after release of the song questions were raised. “I have also talked with Moose Wala’s father in the morning. The song does not refer to Prophet Muhammad (last Prophet in Islam) as we have also checked the historical facts. But I repeat that these facts must be clarified in a description before the starting of the song in future,” he added.
Balkaur Singh said that the word Muhammad was not referred to Prophet Muhammad in any way. “These words are used for then Afghan ruler Dost Mohammad Khan and his five sons, with whom Hari Singh Nalwa had fought a war. It gives reference to the battle of Jamrud fought between Nalwa and the forces of Dost Muhammad. We have immense respect for Prophet Muhammad sahib. I apologise if we have hurt anyone’s sentiments,” he added.
Dost Mohammad Khan (1792 –1863) was one of the prominent rulers of the Emirate of Afghanistan during the reign of Sikh Empire led by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Nalwa (1791-1837) commanded the army of the Sikh empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh and was known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshawar and Jamrud. He expanded the frontier of the Sikh empire to beyond the Indus river right up to the mouth of the Khyber Pass.
Released on Gurpurb, Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary, with more than 12 million views in a day, the song is trending on YouTube five months after the death of the singer.
SYL, first controversial posthumous song:
The first song released after Moose Wala’s killing was SYL, which focused on the more than four-decade old political dispute between Punjab and Haryana on the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (SYL). Striking a sensitive chord, apart from SYL, the singer talked about the post-Independence undivided Punjab, sovereignty, 1984 riots, Sikh prisoners’ release, incident of hoisting the Khalsa flag at Red Fort during the farmer agitation on Delhi’s border.
The SYL song was removed by YouTube from its platform in India following a legal complaint by the Union government. Released on June 23 evening, the song garnered 27 million views and 3.3 million likes on the singer’s YouTube page in less than three days before it was withheld. Moose Wala was shot dead at Jawahar Ke village in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, a day after the Punjab government curtailed his security cover. He along with his cousin and friend was driving in a jeep to Jawahar Ke, 10 km from his native Moosa village when he was ambushed and killed.
