MEERUT:

Uloom Deoband, the world-renowned

, has issued

(edict) against what it said “un-Islamic practices” prevalent in Muslim weddings, which included use of ‘lal khat’, a decorated invitation card that a girl’s family sends to the groom’s side inviting them for ‘nikah’ at a pre-decided venue. The seminary also said that the widespread practice of maternal uncle lifting and carrying bride to the ‘doli’ should not be followed as it “may lead to the birth of lust in either of the two”.

In reply to a Muzaffarnagar-based man, a bench of high-ranking clerics said that the ‘lal khat’ was a foreign concept borrowed from “non-Islamic belief”. The bench further said: “Instead, it should be a normal letter or postcard or intimation by phone call. This activity must be abandoned completely.”

The seminary’s fatwa department took a strong exception to yet another ceremony in which maternal uncle lifts and carries newlywed niece to the ‘doli’.

“Relations between a woman and her maternal uncle are very sacred. A man cannot lift his fully-grown niece, it is certainly not acceptable in the eyes of Muslim law. There is always a danger of destruction of such relationship if this activity leads to the birth of lust in either of the two,” the bench said.

It recommended, “It is always better that the young woman walks towards ‘doli’ or her mother escorts her.”

Besides, the department also said that jewellery which has images embossed on them is un-Islamic. “If the jewellery a bride is wearing does not have any image embossed on it, it is acceptable,” the seminary said.

Clerics have welcomed the fatwa and appealed to all Muslims to follow it religiously.

Speaking to TOI, a Deoband-based cleric Mehadi Hasan Qazmi said: “I don’t think there is anything controversial in the fatwa issued by the seminary. We fully subscribe to seminary’s point of view in which it asks Muslims to stay away from wasting money in weddings. Regarding uncle-niece tradition, this is one practice that must be stopped with immediate effect.”

The fatwa comes just days after the influential seminary’ had issued a decree against women wearing nail paints. It had stated that “nail paint becomes an obstruction during cleaning of hands before offering of Namaz and hence is not acceptable.” In January, the department had in a fatwa asked Muslims not to marry those working in banking sector as “money earned through interest is illegitimate in the eyes of Islam.”