Eid Milad-ul-Nabi processions originated from the Muslim-Sikh riots

Before you know how the tradition of processions on the occasion of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi started? We will tell you about the riots of 1926 in Rawalpindi because the answer to this question lies in that chapter of history.

We know very little about the Rawalpindi riots. This issue has been ignored in our history books even though this one incident changed history for years to come.

On June 13, 1926, riots broke out in the city at seven o’clock in the evening, which reduced half the city to ashes the next day. The reason for the conflict was a cinema (Lakshmi) which was built near the mosque. The next day the city was handed over to the Gurkhas and the white soldiers who managed to control the situation with great difficulty.

The incident is like this that in 1896, when the foundation stone of a large Jama Masjid was laid in the center of Rawalpindi city, at that time tension arose between Muslims and Sikhs over the construction of the mosque. The area of ​​Bagh-e-Sardaran, where the Sikhs were in majority, there was also a big gurdwara, so the Sikhs did not want the Muslims to build their mosque near it. Pir Meher Ali Shah of Golra Sharif resolved this dispute through negotiation.

The construction of this 18-kanal mosque was completed in 1903, for which Amanullah Khan, the son of the then Afghan king, also got the support. This Amanullah later became the President of Afghanistan.

The mosque was built and apparently the atmosphere of tension between Muslims and Sikhs ended. According to tradition, when the annual festival processions of Sikhs passed through the Jamia Masjid Road, Muslims would also take the lead in showering flowers and planting sables on the road.

But then in the 1920s, a cinema was built on the land adjacent to the mosque, along with shops. The land of this cinema belonged to Sardar Mohan Singh who was then the Chairman of Rawalpindi Municipal Committee. Apparently, there was a high wall between the cinema and the mosque, but the Muslims and the imam of the mosque were of the opinion that the cinema should be demolished.

The case went to court. The Muslims lost the case, after which the situation reached the point where riots broke out and engulfed the entire city. Raja Narendra Nath and Gopal Chand Narang, who arrived in Rawalpindi on 16 June on behalf of the Hindu Sabha Lahore, wrote in their inquiry report on the riots that the immediate cause of the riots was the demand of the Muslims that music should not be played near the mosque. As it became a law in Bengal, there was a Muslim demand here as well.

Meanwhile, a procession was taken out on June 13, 1926, on the occasion of the fifth Sikh Guru Arjun Singh’s day. Every year, this procession used to pass outside the Jama Masjid playing instruments and Muslims also used to join the participants, but one was the issue of cinema and the other was the issue of music, on which the imam of the mosque and scholars coming from outside the local population. were inciting

The Sikhs were aware of this, so there was an extraordinary enthusiasm among the Sikhs for the procession this year.

Usually two to three thousand people participated in this procession, but this time their number reached to 15 thousand. Armed Akali Dal youths were also walking with the procession. The procession was still at some distance from the mosque when some Muslims demanded to stop the instrument in front of the mosque.

When this did not happen, some youth standing outside the mosque threw stones at the procession. Although earlier when this procession passed by the mosque, Muslims showered flowers and placed fruits along with the Guru Granth and entertained the participants with sweets and drinks, but this year the atmosphere changed completely.

When the Muslims saw a hospital car with the procession, they became even more suspicious that the Sikhs might have come with preparations for an attack. But later when the report came before the Deputy Commissioner Mr. Ferguson, it was revealed that the vehicle was bought by someone at an auction from the hospital and in fact it contained two sacks of sugar, a block of ice and syrup making equipment. The number of participants was higher this year because it was a Sunday, a holiday.

The police were also accused of this tragedy that they were aware of the tension but did not take any action. The police inspector told the deputy commissioner that the Muslims had bought axes worth three hundred and fifty rupees a day ago from the shop of a Hindu businessman under the mosque. However, the police maintained that an ax does not count as a weapon under the Arms Act.

After the incident on the night of June 13, the situation turned more serious on June 14. The Muslims spread across the city with sticks and axes, in which a large number of villagers from the outskirts of the city also participated.

The Associated Press reported that large numbers of armed Muslims began gathering outside the gurdwara where the Sikh gathering was underway. When the Muslims chanted Allahu Akbar, the Sikhs came out of the gurdwara. Slogans were raised against each other, the parties got tangled up with each other.

Muslims set fire to 172 shops in Ganj Mandi, a major wholesale market. Most of the shops here belonged to Hindu traders and the damage was estimated at three crores.

The police stopped the Hindus from going further, which they accused of partiality, but the police said that if they had allowed people inside the fire, the loss of life could have been higher.

11 Muslims, two Sikhs and one Hindu were among those killed in the riots on June 14, while more than 50 were injured. Most of the Muslims were killed in the fire resistance. When Damdama Sahib was set on fire, Tikka Singh Bedi opened fire there, causing casualties.

However, the administration’s stand was that the Sikhs incited the Muslims, if the armed youth of the Akali Dal had not joined the rally, the riot would not have happened. On the other hand, the Sikhs said that if they had the intention of creating a riot, why would they bring more than 1500 women and children to the meeting?

It is believed that since 80% of the population in the villages of Rawalpindi were Muslims, the administration wanted to suppress the issue as the Hindu and Sikh minorities in the rural areas could be at serious risk if riots broke out.

When there was a riot on a Sikh procession in 1926, the British officers solved it by offering the Muslim elites to take out a religious procession of their own. The Muslims accepted this proposal as reasonable.

Next year, a procession was taken out with great enthusiasm on the occasion of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi. About this, Aziz Malik has written in his book “Rawal Des” on pages 124 to 125 that “This procession came out with such glory that the eyes of the enemies of Islam became bright. Before that, only Nazr Niaz and Milad were performed on the occasion of Eid Milad.” Sharif’s gatherings were organized. This day was popularly known as ‘Twelve Deaths’, gradually large gatherings started to be held to celebrate this day in which political and national issues were discussed more than the Prophet’s biography. This situation continued for a period. Then a procession was added to the day’s celebrations. This was in 1927. The origin of this grand procession is nothing more than a historical accident. This accident opened the eyes of politics in the lap of time and circumstances nurtured it. The beginning of the procession was that the city of Pindi was inhabited by three major nations, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. Hindus and Sikhs were in charge of the offices and they also occupied the markets. Their economic supremacy was ruling over the Muslims.

From their places of worship the sounds of clocks and bells, the tinkling of bells, the tinkling of bells and the sound of drums would emanate and spread far and wide in the air. Putra Devdasiya sang songs to the tune of the instruments and performed the worship service on these songs. This state of Raga Rang was not limited to the four walls of temples and Gurdwaras, but many times a year there were Nagar Kirtans in which people went around singing Ragi Bhajans. It was these kirtans of the Hindu Sikhs that caused the communal bitterness of the city. Playing songs in front of the Jamia Masjid was considered as a challenge to the patience and calmness of Muslims. Little by little, the small beer of bitterness became an endless sea one day and the gulf of mutual hatred widened so much that on a dark night of June 1926, murders and arson took place in the city. It was just a one night game though. The light that made the night the day was extinguished by the light, but the unquenchable flame of hatred was left behind. After this tragedy in which Muslims also suffered a lot.

The high-ranking officials of the district advised the Muslim rulers of the city to organize a procession in front of Nagar Girtan in order to balance both sides of the scale. This proposal was reasonable and the demand of the time was also something like that, so next year the procession of Eid Milad took place and it came out with such splendor that the eyes of the enemies became bright.

In the beginning, voices were raised against this procession from some circles. Maulana Zafar Ali Khan wrote an editorial in Zamindar that this is ‘pure innovation and a conscious attempt to turn the spirit of religion into a game of blood.’

In response, Muslims of faith say that ‘Actions depend on intentions.’ When the intention is to express joy on the celebration of Milad-ul-Nabi s.a.w., then how did blood play happen and why did Naat Khwani become an innovation? The Holy Prophet himself had heard his praise from Hazrat Hasan bin Thabit in the Prophet’s Mosque. The historian class used to refer to the departure from Quba to Madinah on the occasion of Hijrah. When the Ansar Madinah Sarkar went with two scholars in a cluster. If this was not a procession, what was it? However, the procession continued and still continues. Melad processions started taking place in all major cities of India. But Pindi will always be proud that this procession originated from this city.’
Muhammad Arif Raja writes on page 41 of his book ‘Tarikh Rawalpindi and Tehreek Pakistan’ that ‘before the Rawalpindi riots, there were no Milad processions in the subcontinent. When the Deputy Commissioner convened a meeting of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim leaders to reduce tension over the Jama Masjid riots, it was decided that just as Hindus and Sikhs pass in front of the mosque to celebrate their respective festivals, so do Muslims. Take out a procession and pass in front of Hindu and Sikh temples and gurdwaras.’

After this decision, on 12 Rabi-ul-Awal, 1927, the first procession of Eid Milad was taken out in Rawalpindi, in which one million Muslims from all over Punjab participated. After that, this tradition started all over the subcontinent.