Discuss & Debate | Share | Learn

www.ask.or.tz

Our Partners
This is the place to post articles on any issue which doesn not fit under any other category or forum
Yes
7
78%
No
1
11%
I don't care
1
11%
User avatar
By Muhammad Mahdi
#14149
Salaams

It is with great sadness that I write this after finding out that Sh Razi was let go.

The circumstances of his departure are interesting, for lack of a better word.
Since I m not in DSM, I am not very much aware of what is actually going on.

What do you guys think.

Should sheikh have been let go? Should he be re-hired?
Was it right the way he was told he was not required?

Start airing your views so we can know where our community stands.
#14151
I received this forward today and thought I'd share... Very interesting.
Dear Friends,

Those of you who are denizens of Dar and even those afar in the Khoja Diaspora worldwide have heard the story of the firing of Sh. Safdar Razi from his job in Dar by the Tabligh Supremo, by being sent an SMS. (It’s the technology age- Who has time to write long letters!?)


Following the furore from different sections of the society, some Tabligh members are claiming that even they were not involved in the making of that decision.


Before I tell you why I think he was fired let me tell you one thing. I have discussed this with many people in the age group of 40+ and they ALL unanimously agreed with this observation:-

* No one had ever seen any Alim as active as Sh. Safdar Razi

In case you are not aware of his activities. The following is a sample:

1. He would wake up at 3 or 4 am for his live online lectures at alqaim.org
2. Many times he would lead morning prayers.
3. At 9 am, he would be in MAZ Hawza for his lectures, Balagha, Arabic nahaw and sarf, ilmul hadith, ilmul fiqh, etc
4. Lead Dhuhrain Prayers
5. Mehfile Asghari: (Tuesdays and Sundays) since he started going he has changed the traditional mehfil into an education oriented centre that children enjoy as well as learn from.
6. Lead maghribain prayers
7. Lectures after maghribain
8. Mon-Friday Hawza for gents and ladies from 8-9 pm
9. Active on Saturday Fun Nights for 7-15 year-old boys
10. Took interest in Programs for the elderly like the senior citizens
11. Sunday morning programs of news/lecture cum sport cum breakfast for young boys organized privately


Apart from this he is one of the few who is approachable at any time, by anyone and you would expect to get your answer on the spot.


NOW the question: Why would he be fired???


For one, he is a Khoja like us and is not like the diplomatic darbari alims who would sing to the tunes of their masters. He had the guts to stand for the truth and criticize the things that were going wrong in the community, (the blood mojiza, the niani thali programs etc) the worst being when he trod recently on the feet of the Tabligh Supremo's beloved lecturer who was the visiting Zakir (not Alim), Sayyid Arif Rizvi.


Sayyid Ariz Rizvi, is a self made lecturer whose majalis/lectures are copy+paste of Sayyid Jawad Naqvi. (A case in point: check out The values of Ashura by Sayyid Jawad Naqvi.) In discussions he was asked questions which he failed to answer and his replies confirmed that he is simply an orator with limited knowledge. His definition of ‘ma’aruf’ is not swalat, zakat, saum etc but to stand up against dhalim. ‘Munkar’ similarly is not zina, liquor, gambling etc but limited to oppression. His focal point is blood, fight and revolution. The problem with this gentleman and his limited knowledge is he ended up being critical of every Marja including Ayatullah Sistani. There is evidence for this: in the recorded lectures he said, "The Yazid of our time is occupying Iraq and no one is raising his voice against him. All ulama are silent. When Imam reappears he will grab these ulama by their beards and question them. We need Husayn."


Note: he hardly ever said “Imam Husayn (as)” or “Hazrat Husayn (as)” or even “Nabi Mussa (as)”. He always called the Aimmah (as) as well as anbiyaa by their names alone, but when it comes to the two Maraje, he calls one "Imam ush-Shuhadaa -Imam Khomeini' (So far we have been hearing Sayyidush Shuhada Imam Husayn (as) now we have Imam of Shuhada!) and the other one "Imame Ummat, Rahbare Enqelab, Imam Khamenei". I have deep respect for and acknowledge the contributions of both Imam Khomeini as well as Ayatullah Khameini, but does that mean Ayatullah Sistani and other Maraje’ are cowards or American cohorts?


The biggest mistake was that we did not raise our voice to protest against this zakir’s lectures. If we had done it at that time and if a hungama was crated then, may be it would have alerted people. But out of respect and to avoid fitna, Mr. Mehboob Somji was politely informed, and he replied that Arif did not mean that. Whether Arif intentionally did it or not, he clearly implied it. This was understanding of many other people in the community as well. It was therefore no surprise that in Friday Khutba Sh. Safdar Razi came out defending Ay. Sistani. THAT was the beginning of his problems!


Tabligh has come out with a long list of the problems of Sh Safdar including that he doesn’t listen to others (not true! He is very accommodating e.g Friday lecture length, timing, English, Gujrati, Urdu etc). All of this is just name-bashing and nothing else. Sh Safdar is not an angel; he may have shortcomings like any one of us, but he is certainly approachable and could have been told about that long list of problems. THE ONLY PROBLEM is HE WONT COMPROMISE on PRINCIPLES. You may be paying his salary but his allegiance is first to his Lord and the Maasumin (as).


We Khojas are used to Maulvis from the sub-continent; we pay their salaries, we put leashes around their necks and stand with a whip at their backs. “Maulana you have to recite this! Don’t do this!” etc... The moment he steps out of line, his contract is not renewed. Have you ever wondered why all Alims’ contracts specifically stipulate that they cannot become Jamaat member? We don’t want interference in what we do, we don’t want to be told what we are doing may be wrong etc. That’s why!


Sh. Safdar.... if you are reading this mail... pole sana.... you crossed the line into people’s fiefdoms... Sayyid Arif is our pet, and you dared to criticize him...irrespective of the fact that this man, if he had his way, would go to the extent of criticizing all the other Aimah (as) who did not fight like Imam Husayn (as). To him, Karbala and its values make sense only if you confront the dhalim and physically fight him and get killed! All other strategies of fighting a dhalim make no sense to him!


Well Sayyid Arif, if there is one thing that people of Dar have learnt from you, it’s that very concept: Fight for your rights and don’t let others decide for you! From a 5 year old kid to 80 year old wazee, all have come out fighting the powers-that-be to defend Sh. Safdar and get his contract restituted. Please also note next time you abuse Ayatullah Sistani or speak nonsense from mimbar we will make a stand and if necessary challenge you then and there in public and ask you to come down. Our tolerance is not weakness.


Finally, a small piece of advice to my dear social workers: It is very difficult to separate self-interest and khuloos lillah in such matters. Many times, personal interests interfere with and spoil our sincerity. Quran reminds us “wa idh zayyanash shaytanu a’amaalahum…” “and when Shaytan beautifies their (evil) deeds…” (8:48) and hence, we end up doing selfish and wrong things in the name of progressing the cause of Islam. We feel we are doing a great service to Islam while in fact we are just massaging our egos. I may hate someone because he challenged me or my beliefs, but I end up justifying that personal hate and produce so many reasons. With aell the hullabaloo and chaos, they still have guts to say, people are doing our ghibat and our sins are being erased! Indeed when shaitan beautifies our action.....


A lifetime of work, dedication and reputation is spoilt just like that!

Abu Ali
#14153
Salam,
Whats going on in Dar Es Salaam, why these issues are always coming to us, is it some Management Error ? Is it that we don't have good leaders ?. sister Zahra found it interesting while i found it shameful for us. My opinion for Sheikh Razi is very positive, to me he is best for our Jamaat as he doesn't throw the ball on others and skips the issues, he tries to convince and bring out the facts. Did Tabligh found anyone more impressive than Sheikh Razi, who is it ? Do we have a right to ASK ?.

In one of my posts i raised the issue , What is the criteria of selecting a resident Aalim ? Is Aalim selected by a Panel or an individual. Are they or he is so much qualified to Select ? What degree or qualification they or he has FOR SELECTION.

I feel if we can promote one of our Scholar/Mulla to the selection committee and he can come up with 2-3 Maulana for both Moharram, Mahe-e-Ramzan & Ashra-e-Zainbiya (major events) then Jamat organize a voting system ,then there won't be any such problem. I hadn't touched resident Aalim coz I find Sheikh Safadar Razi as THE BEST and if after some years he tends to leave he only should appoint his successor as he is knowledgeable.
When we are ill we try to find the best doctors for cure, we ask engineers if we are building something, so is the case for everything we ask professionals but when it comes to religion ?????. Aren't we throwing responsibilities on others ? NOW WE NEED TO SELECT WHO IS BEST FOR US.
#14154
I found it interesting that someone had dared to mention the facts.

From what I hear it was one managing committee member and one tabligh sub-committee member who decided not to renew his contract. And now they're imposing their decision on the rest of the Jamaat. They claimed to have "two of the best alims" in line for the vacancy, but word has it that both of them turned down the offer already! Now these people who made such rash decisions are stuck nice and good!
User avatar
By Dayyanah Karim
#14155
From what i heard, he was told that he is not needed over an SMS. that, i do not think is right. if they did not want him, they should have at least arranged a meeting with him and told him his mistakes.

what was the real reason he was told his contact will not be re-newed?? does anyone know?? i am hearing soo many different stories

can some one please mention the truth??
User avatar
By abuali
#14161
While being sad at the Tabligh Boards decision not to renew Sheikh razi's contract, I am jubilant at the result.

For the first time, in an unprecedented manner, we have all come together to stand up for what we want from our jamaat (as opposed to silently accepting whatever is fed down our throats).

This is awesome! There is still hope for us.

All we need now is to direct this energy and unity to other matters of importance as well inshallah.

I have spoken to Tabligh and have also emailed Sheikh Razi on the matter.

As we all know the Sheikh is an amazingly friendly person. So many of us communicate with him on phone and by sms. He is very approachable. Many a time I send him important messages on the Ask project via sms and he sends me important messages by sms too.

Having said that, I believe an apology letter has already been written to Sheikh Razi for the sms.

All we need to do is now keep our stand that we want him back and his contract should be renewed. Tabligh and Jamaat have to bow down to the needs of those they claim to 'serve'.
User avatar
By abuali
#14162
visionary wrote:You all are supporting sh razi that is good! But has anyone not dared to name the person who sent him SMS ?
Brother, we believe in reconciliation among brothers and not inciting hate.

You may have your problems with Tabligh and Mehboobbhai Somji viz-a-viz the 'Zakaat' issue (http://ask.or.tz/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=2 ... 160#p14160), however that does not justify pointing fingers of accusation to the detriment of reconciliation between brothers.
User avatar
By abuali
#14164
So, any news on the above?

It is quite clear that Sheikh Razi is being punished for his stance against Arif Rizvi's condemnation of the Marja of Najaf.

Has the jamaat renewed his contract?

I feel we need to show our support for Sheikh Razi by presenting a petition to the Jamaat to accept what the jamaat members want.

There is a petition to demand that Sheikh Razi's contract be renewed. Please spread this link to all Dar Jamaat members (male and female) and request them to sign the same.

Renew Sheikh Razi's contract petition
By Fatimah Zahra Karim
#14180
I do not know what Visionary's intention in asking about the name was, but I firmly believe that in situations such as these, names need to be named, because the people responsible are in a position to potentially lead the whole community astray if no-one does or says anything. If everyone knows those responsible, they'll be more careful of these people in the future, and these 'leaders' will, it is our hope, be kept away from such leadership positions in the future so that we curb their deliberate mission of misguidance!
User avatar
By Dayyanah Karim
#14181
The question now is whether his contract will be re-newed or not after all that the public have said in his favour.
By Ustaz Hussein
#14214
Assallamunalaikum,

I will not get into these troubles because i have a lot of trouble with the Khoja Jamaat and they have done a lot for me; they threathened me with police; they supported my enemies from among my relatives; they are very afraid of me; when they hear about me, they exclaim "He is a Wahhabi"; some say,"No, No, No, He is a Sunni"; some say," No, He had become an Ismaili"; some say,"No, he is just an anti-Khoja"; some say," No he is a great supporter of the oppressed among the Shias" and they even call me a Jew; they even cal me a christian; they even know me as an hypocrite; and there is this: Abbas Lalji and Sadiq Alishan who are ready to wipe me out of the face of the earth but my Dua's, my faith and the attachement i have with the Ahlulbayt (as) keeps me away from every kind of evil and evil people from among the Jinn and men and i thank Allah (swt) for his countless blessings that he bestowed upon me and i thank Syedah Zainab (sa), that madhlumah of Sham, who made me victorious over my enemies that today they are no longer oppressing my grandparents and they have left the house and they could not tolerate the people of God who were fearless of their evil schemes. The word of God is to prosper "Allah has written: I shall win and My apostles; verily Allah is very powerful, mighty"'-Qura'n Karim..

I Thank Allah s.w.t for the religion of Islam and the path of Ahlulbayt (as) in which he has put me. Maa-shaa-allah, there is no power nor strength save that of Allah, the Most High, the great.
By hasanrizvi
#14234
WE NEED SHEIKH SAFDAR RAZI TO BE BACK WITHOUT ANY CONDITIONS IMPOSED ON HIM.
The youth of DSM are not sleeping and we are not herd of sheep that anyone can lead us with a stick. IS THIS DEMOCRACY ?. We the people of DSM elects Jamat personals for ourselves not for themselves or for their personal benefits. As far as i know no one oppose SHEIKH so whats the need of change while we have example of other Sheikhs who stayed here for even 6 yrs. in jamat
Can anyone tell us who are those who doesn't want him, why they are not coming out and telling us and gives us the reasons, if it was Reciter ARIF issue, than come out and defend reciter ARIF for what he claimed. Even ARIF was not able to defend himself when he was here than how his followers will ? IS IT THAT RECITER ARIF WAS JUST A FACE WHILE THE BODY IS STILL HIDDEN ? WAS IT A TEST OF THE REACTIONS BEFORE IMPLEMENTING NEW IDEOLOGY ? WHO IS AGAINST AYT. SISTANI AND WHY ? IS IT A BUILDING PROCESS FOR PROPAGATION OF NEW MARJA ? WHO ? WHY ? DOES HE LACK FOLLOWERS ? ISN'T HE CAPABLE OF ATTRACTING LARGE GROUPS ? IS HE GREEDY OF POWER OR JEALOUS ? these questions are constantly striking ones mind, hope all are positive to save us from further division and give our enemies chance to laugh at us.

Amaal Eve 17th - (night preceeding day 17th) A ver[…]

Ramadhan Daily Duas- # 17

Dua for Day 17 | Holy Month of Ramadhan O Allah, […]

https://youtu.be/hk2bRbbavCY?si=6Y53rBBj5rHfPNmw

Ramadan Daily Duas - # 16

*Dua for Day 16 | Holy Month of Ramadhan* O Allah[…]

Ask4help Counseling Helpline