Saif-Kareena marriage 'un-Islamic': Deoband

No to knot

Bollywood stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor may have tied the knot but their marriage has been termed ‘un-islamic’ by the Darul Uloom, Deoband.

The seminary, which is highly respected among the Muslims, said on Wednesday that the marriage of Saif and Kareena cannot be called a ‘nikah’ (Muslim marriage) in accordance with the provisions of the ‘shariat’ (Islamic law).

“According to the shariat, the bride and the groom have to be Muslims before their marriage, only such marriages’ are legitimate in the eyes of Islam,” said Mufti Rashid Quasmi, a senior cleric at the ‘Darul Ifta’ (department of fatwa) in the seminary.

“If Kareena had converted before the marriage, then the marriage is legitimate as per the islamic law, else it is not valid,” he added.

Another senior cleric of the seminary Habib-ur-Rehman also said that Kareena had married Saif without accepting Islam and hence their marriage was ‘illegal’ in the eyes of the ‘shariat.’

The clerics also made it clear that accepting Islam after the marriage would not make their marriage valid. “The acceptance has to be before the marriage,” they said.

The Deoband also said that marriages’ among different religions could turn out to be ‘dangerous’ in a country like India.

It was not clear whether Kareena had converted to Islam before the marriage. According to reports the duo had married in a court followed by a ‘nikah’ ceremony at Saif’s home at Bandra in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The Deoband is known  for issuing ‘fatwas’ on a variety of issues drawing the criticism of the progressive muslims.