Clerics say no to lavish Muslim weddings

Lucknow: In an attempt to check extravagant spending in weddings, Muslim clerics in Saharanpur have unanimously decided not to solemnise weddings where bands are played and singing and dancing takes place.

At a meeting held at the residence of senior cleric Maulana Qari Syed Ishaq Guara in Saharanpur, the clerics said that ‘band-baaja’, ‘naach-gaana’  and dowry were against the tenets of Islam and efforts must be made to put a check on the same.

The Maulana told reporters that Muslim weddings in recent years were becoming increasingly extravagant and lavish even though Islam does not permit wasteful spending. “We have decided not to solemnise such weddings and initiate a social boycott of those who do. These steps are necessary to prevent the young generations in the Muslim community from aping the trend”, he said.

Mufti Arshad Gaura, who was also present at the meeting, said that a number of Muslim scholars and intellectuals had also expressed concern over the new trend of lavish weddings and wanted a curb at the earliest.