lakum dinukum waliyadin – for you your religion, for me, mine. That verse from the Qur’an holds out a lot of meaning — for those who are ready to understand it. The verse is for the way Muslims treat (and judge) each other as well as other non-Muslims. Actor Hina Khan has been at the receiving end of the ire of social media trolls who happen to be Muslims for dressing inappropriately during Ramzan. To begin with, a person personal belief is just that – personal. For the religiously inclined, that is what the Qur’an says as well. So no amount of moral policing or threats over the social media or just playing ISIS/Sri Ram Sena/evangelists justifies it. Ramzan, in any case, is not about doing good deeds in the one month and giving in to the devil for the rest of the year. It is about making these practices a part of your life.
And for all the men who are interested, there is a Hadith (the practices of the Prophet) where a beautiful woman from the tribe of Khatham approached the Prophet for some advice while he was accompanied by his cousin, Al Fadl, who started looking at her. When the Prophet noticed this, he held out his hand backwards and caught the chin of Al-Fadl and turned his face to the other side in order that he should not gaze at her. The woman, incidentally, was not asked to cover up. Modesty applies to a man as well. Hope that is enough gyaan for the day for the trolls to back off.