New Delhi: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s prayer for legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar at her cremation in Mumbai Sunday has triggered a massive row on social media over the manner in which he prayed for the departed soul.
After videos came out of Khan reading a ‘dua’ (prayer) next to the mortal remains of Mangeshkar, several Twitter users including Haryana’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) information technology in-charge Arun Yadav questioned if the actor spat during his prayer.
क्या इसने थूका है ❓ pic.twitter.com/RZOa2NVM5I
— Arun Yadav (@beingarun28) February 6, 2022
Another user also sought to allege that Khan did spit while paying tributes.
Look what Shahrukh khan is doing while paying homage to Lata Ji… ?????? pic.twitter.com/9BXsVm458L
— Naren Mukherjee ?? (@narendra52) February 6, 2022
Shahrukh is Spitting! https://t.co/mhX8i7lnNk
— Prashant Umrao (@ippatel) February 6, 2022
What's the obsession of M with spitting?
Was Srk spitting ! pic.twitter.com/DXSXjQd57j
— Hardik (@Humor_Silly) February 6, 2022
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Blowing air after ‘dua’
On Sunday, Khan arrived at the Shivaji Park to bid farewell to Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar. Many other prominent Indians were in attendance, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and actor Aamir Khan.
As Khan stepped on the stage along with his manager Pooja Dadlani to bid a final goodbye to the legend, he raised his hands in dua and then took off his mask to blow air. He then folded his hands and encircled her body to pay respects.
The act of blowing air after the dua has been falsely interpreted as him “spitting”.
According to Professor Akhtarul Wasey, Board of Studies, Department of Islamic Studies, Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Jodhpur, while he can’t comment on specifically which prayer Khan recited, the gesture of blowing air after reading a dua is a traditional Islamic practice during funerals.
“When a Muslim attends the last rites of a near one, they read a prayers and then blow air like (SRK did). This is their way to say a final goodbye. This shouldn’t be seen in a wrong way,” said Wasey.
Several others tweeted the video, stating that it’s an act of faith. These included Congress leaders B.V. Srinivas and Urmila Matondkar, also an actor, and Bollywood film producer Priya Gupta.
प्रिय @ShahnawazBJP जी
एवं BJP में मौजूद सभी नेतागण,क्या आप लोगों के अंदर अंतरात्मा की आवाज़ जीवित है या वो भी शाखा में गिरवी रखकर आये है?
किसी के अंतिम संस्कार में इंसानियत की इस सबसे खूबसूरत तस्वीर पर इस जहरीले व्यंग्य का समर्थन कर आप राजनीति को किस स्तर तक लेकर जाएंगे? https://t.co/StIksxQbog
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) February 6, 2022
थूकना नही दुआओं को फुँकना कहते हैं।इस सभ्यता,संस्कृति को #भारत कहते हैं।
प्रधानमंत्री जी की फ़ोटो तो लगा रखी हैं, उनसे कुछ सीखा होता।
भारत माँ कीं अनमोल बेटी का गाना सुनें
“ईश्वर अल्लाह तेरे नाम, सबको सन्मति दे भगवान,
सारा जग तेरी सन्तान”
(आज का दिन तो छोड़ देतें??) https://t.co/fjmUWor9Fh pic.twitter.com/c6tkhiEK1d
— Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) February 6, 2022
This is called Dua…@iamsrk #LataMangeshkar ji pic.twitter.com/VvRqgrsdGa
— Priya Gupta (@priyagupta999) February 6, 2022
Some users even tried to explain the act by sharing a clip from the 2010 Karan Johar-directed film, My Name is Khan, in which SRK’s character is seen blowing air on his son after a prayer.
What???
Shahrukh Khan spitting on his son?
? pic.twitter.com/n5vi08ASo0— Laibah Firdaus. لائبہ فردوس (@FirdausLaibah) February 6, 2022
Yadav and others claim it’s about politics and imposition
After the outrage on Twitter over this ‘bigotry’, Haryana BJP leader Arun Yadav sought to claim that he only enquired what Khan did, but the criticism of his tweet only showed that “opponents” of PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath don’t like his work in “national interests”.
कल सोशल मीडिया पर शाहरुख खान की एक वीडियो वायरल हो रही थी,मैंने सिर्फ पता लगाने कि कोशिश की और प्रशन पूछा कि सच्चाई क्या है ❓
प्रश्न करने पर जो रिएक्शन आये उससे लगता है कि मेरा देशहित में काम करना मोदी और योगी विरोधियों को अच्छा नही लग रहा ?
— Arun Yadav (@beingarun28) February 7, 2022
Other users sought to allege that Khan was trying to “normalise culture with non believers”.
Spitting or no spitting,blowing or no blowing is immaterial!
2 relevant Q:
1.Did he take her family approval?
2.If no,this attempt to normalise Islamic culture with non believers must be resisted!
If Hindu celeb sprinkling GangaJal on a devout deceased Muslim be acceptable? https://t.co/5fRHXpz1ww
— Alok Bhatt (@alok_bhatt) February 7, 2022
“If u resist Hindu culture, u have no business imposing urs- least of all on such somber occasion & without family approval! (sic),” added chartered accountant Alok Bhatt.
(Edited by Amit Upadhyaya)
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