Muhammad Alvi (poet)

Medium: Literature

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Artist: Mohammed Alvi of Ahmedabad - Urdu writer, poet and Sahitya Akademi award winner

Confronting Bodies: Mufti Shabbir Siddiqi of Ahamdabad

Dates of Action: April 4, 1995

Location: India

Description of Artwork: The piece of work under question is a poem by Mohammed Alvi’s in which he writes, "Agar tujh ko fursat nahin to na aa, Magar ek achcha nabi bhej de Qayamat ke din kho na jaye kahin Yes achchi ghadi hai abhi bhej de. (O God, if you are too busy to visit us, send us a good angel to guide us; and send him now instead of on the Day of Judgment).”

The Incident: According to Mufti Shabbir Siddiqi of Darool Ulum Shahe Alam, a religious school of Ahamdabad, Alvi’s line of poetry, written 17 years earlier, was "an attack on the Faith and derogatory to the Prophet". On April 4, 1995, 17 years after Alvi wrote the controversial poem, Mufti Shabbir Siddiqi issued a fatwa of excommunication against Alvi.

Results of Incident: Alvi was declared a kafir and was excommunicated. Fearing excommunication from the faith, Alvi tendered an apology.

Source: http://www.indolink.com/Book/book33.html and Democracy Frontline blog: http://democracyfrontline.org/blog/?p=1597