Over the past six decades, Pakistani society has been increasingly marred by invasive alien cultural and religious rites and rituals, leading to unpalatable social practices. Like termites, this invisible seizure has eroded the roots of societal values, making life unbearable for the poor masses and suffocating for all. These disgusting innovations, which have gradually become norms in social interactions on happy and sad occasions, are best termed Bid'ah, meaning "innovation" in Arabic. In the Islamic context, Bid'ah refers to any new practice or belief without roots in the Quran and Sunnah, often viewed with caution as it can alter faith and practices established by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Understanding Bid'ah in Islam
Islamic scholars have debated Bid'ah extensively. Some reject all forms, insisting on strict adherence to Quran and Sunnah, while others recognize that certain innovations may be necessary to adapt to changing circumstances, as long as core tenets remain unchanged. Understanding Bid'ah is crucial for Muslims to navigate religious practices appropriately. Most disgusting social practices prevail due to a lack of in-depth religious knowledge, limited understanding of Quranic injunctions and Sunnah, inadequate adherence to basic Islamic tenets, and prevalence of herd mentality or blind imitation.
The diminishing practice of following Quranic direction—namely, the societal obligations of amr-bil-Ma'roof (ordering virtues) and nahi anil munkar (forbidding sin)—is a main reason for uncontrolled spread of innovations. Allah says: "And there should be a group amongst you who invite towards good, order for acknowledged virtues, forbid from sin and it is they, who shall be the successful ones" (Al-Imran 3:104). Together, these form a foundational pillar of Islamic ethics designed to protect the moral and spiritual health of the community, making the Muslim Ummah "the best nation."
Examples of Bad Innovations in Pakistan
Most rites and rituals associated with death, birth, and weddings in Pakistan flow from non-Muslim culture, magnified by greed-driven mafias, belly-fillers, and misguided youth, helplessly watched by senior citizens. Wasteful expenditures on lavish food, pomp and show, and strange Nikkah ceremonies preceded and succeeded by vulgar songs and dances are now considered unavoidable. Other examples include:
- Mourning on the 3rd, 10th, 40th, and yearly death anniversaries with invitation cards, lavish food, and money/gifts to professional Quran reciters
- Celebrating Urs (yearly festival) of saints
- Sacrificing animals in saints' names
- Praying or supplicating to the dead, saints, or anyone besides Allah
- Believing in or using lucky charms and soothsayers
- Making monuments on graves
- Objectionable poetry recited as Naat with musical instruments
- Singing Qawali (touching limits of Shirk)
- Learning religion solely as a livelihood without other skills
- Excessively high-pitched loud volume for Azan/sermons
- Different colored turbans and gowns by clergy for cult identification
- Rent-a-crowd booking offices in mosques for death or happy ceremonies and political gatherings
- Religious/sectarian division on disputed Islamic history
- Unbridled use of confusing titles and prefixes/suffixes with clergy names
- Acting as wheeler-dealers for political parties
Consequences and Human Rights Violations
These distractions and Bid'ah have caused unrest, despondency, despair, and frustration in Pakistani society. The role of state, society, clergy, and individuals in checking these innovations is missing, as focus has shifted to self-interests, forgetting the hereafter. Human rights organizations frequently criticize deeply ingrained traditional and customary rituals that violate fundamental human rights, particularly of women and minorities. The most condemned practices include honour killings (Karo-Kari), forced child marriages as dispute settlements (Swara), and severe sectarian/religious persecution. Other issues include child labour/abuse, poverty, economic inequality, low literacy, poor education, gender inequality, underage marriages, overpopulation, healthcare disparity, lack of freedom of expression, sycophancy as an accepted norm for career elevation, elite/state oppression, unsatisfactory justice system, and Pakistan being 'The Islamic State' in name only.
Call for Collective Action
Who will bell the cat? We all shall, as God only helps those who help themselves. "Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves" (Surah Ar-Ra'd 13:11). The writer, Saleem Qamar Butt, is a retired senior army officer with experience in international relations, military diplomacy, and analysis of geo-political and strategic security issues.
