ISLAMABAD Prominent religious scholar and leading Mufti of Pakistan, Mufti Muneebur Rehman, has said that since India is illegally occupying Jammu and Kashmir and has deprived its residents of their basic human rights, it is, therefore, absolutely not lawful for the people of the territory to sell their properties, even a small tool like needle, to the Hindus of India. Mufti Muneebur Rehman issued the fatwa [religious decree] in response to an istifta [religious query] that whether it is lawful for the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir to sell their properties to the Hindus of India to accomplish the objective of the despotic Indian rulers of converting Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir into a minority especially when India in violation of its own constitution, UN resolutions and international law abrogated Articles 35-A and 370 on August 5, 2019? The query also mentioned the introduction of new domicile law by India, which has lifted ban on Indian citizens to get jobs in occupied Kashmir. Mufti Muneeb in his fatwa in response to the above query categorically said, it is not lawful as per Shariah to even rent their properties to the Hindus of India. He also cited various verses from the Holy Quran and Hadith, saying if infidels are in a state of war with Muslims and have illegally occupied their territory like India in Jammu and Kashmir and Israel in Palestine, it is unlawful for the Muslims of that territory to give charity, sadaqah or hibba to them. Doing so is a kind of assisting them in oppression, he added. He said that the scholars of Islam are unanimous in their opinion that it is not valid for Muslims to sell anything, even like a needle, to the pagans in certain conditions, which may turn out to be harmful for Muslims and the Islamic state at present or in near future. He said it is sinful to do so because it is a kind of assisting them in oppression. The Mufti said that Jammu and Kashmir is Darul Islam where the Muslims are in majority for the past many centuries and by abrogating Articles 35-A and 370 of the Indian constitution, India has itself violated its agreement with the Kashmiri people. This violation on part of India, he maintained, is a first step towards the dissolution of the entity of Jammu and Kashmir. He said these Articles of the Indian constitution testify that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory, and by no means a part of India, but instead an Indian occupied territory. He added that the United Nations has also acknowledged it a disputed territory through its resolutions passed in 1948. He said, in such circumstances, it is, as per Sharia, absolutely not lawful for the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir to sell their properties and immovable belongings to the Hindus. Such a practice, he added, will be tantamount to weaken Muslims and making their enemies stronger, which is forbidden in Islam.—KMS
