Peace Brother
I disagree with you on the Bengali Part, just because certain aspects in the culture used to be practiced in Pagan times and are still practiced after islam does not mean that it is pagan worship, its just part of there culture. Are they Worshiping Another God? Or are the pictures you showed us are just a form of art? If the former is true, then this is against Islam, if the latter, then they are Muslims.
Begalis are an ethnic group, they belong to the Bengal Region, this area is split between Modern India and Bengaladish, they have there own language, Bengali. There are some people who say that Bengalis are basiclly just Indians. Bengalis are Indian as French are European.
Peace
As'salamu Alaikum akhi Zulfiqar,
While pictures in general aren't haram (sinful, forbidden), but those particular pictures are. For example, isn't the woman in the picture supposed to be the
hindu goddess Lakshmi? If this was the arabian pagan god hubal, then everyone would've said that yes it's haram. But aren't the hindu gods the same? They're all worshiped idols. So why praise them by raising pictures of them?? It doesn't matter whether you worship them or not, they're still praised.
This reminds me of the Sufis circumambulation (tawaaf) around the graves practice. Why do it?? They say that it's not a practice of worshiping the graves. But it is.
sufis and shias also do bow to the graves, especially to the graves of their holy figures.
To the reader, please visit the following link to see how Islam's Rituals
are all also supported in the Bible:
http://www.answering-christianity.com/tawaaf_around_kaaba_supported_in_bible.htm
http://www.answering-christianity.com/convert_christians.htmAllah Almighty's Warning to all Muslims:If you are a Muslim who calls himself a Sufi or Shia but doesn't do any of these practices (
see the many evil and heretical and blasphemous practices), and are ignorant about them, then my advise to you my dear brother or sister is to educate yourself VERY WELL about these heretic sects before you decide to stamp them on your name and title. Your ignorance only adds to their strength and blasphemies. If you call yourself as one of them, then you have increased them by one with your ignorance. And perhaps you're one of those very reasonable and very nice and very pious Muslims that you're only making those heretic sects look like what they're not.
Don't let their soft talk and smiles fool you!And last and not least, let me remind you of
Allah Almighty's Warning to those who inject poisons of this type (ex: polytheist practices, heretical practices, etc...) into Islam:
[006:023] Then their excuse would be nothing but that they would say: By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists.
[006:024] See how they lie against their own souls, and that which they forged has passed away from them.Many will stand before Allah Almighty and sware by Allah Almighty's Holy Name that they were True Muslims. But they will be rejected, and they will be called liars, and they will be thrown to Hell. Do not play games with Islam. Do not get colorful with your unorthodox ways. Like domino, the poisons keep falling in once you let them in. It starts with an "innocent" picture or idol or practice of some pagan ritual, and then it becomes a norm to many, and then it becomes a tradition. Enough with this nonsense, Muslims. Why do do some Muslims insist on being pagans?
You see, this is what bothers me from shias and suffies. They take what Islam practices and they twist them and turn them into idol worship:
1- We bow to Allah Almighty in prostration. They bow to mere creations' graves in prostration.
2- We do tawaaf around the Kaaba, because it is Allah Almighty's appointed House of Worship. They do tawaaf round mere creations' graves.
3- We call unto Allah Almighty in Prayers and Supplications. They call unto mere creations, both dead and alive, for prayers and supplications and for:
1- Aid
2- Support
3- Mercy
4- Forgiveness
5- GuidanceAnd as you've all seen in my previous posts, the shias even go as far as saying that the Ahlul Bayt people are on the Throne with Allah Almighty, and
that Allah Almighty's Throne is under their feet.
We should rise with ONE VOICE and as ONE MAN against these types of heretical groups and thoroughly expose them! I will be posting articles on the sufies very soon, insha'Allah (if Allah Almighty is Willing). By doing this, dear brothers and sisters in Islam, we'll not only expose the blasphemous and heretical groups, but we'll also educate many of their ignorant followers who may be True Muslims, but are very ignorant and know little to nothing about these blasphemous cults, whom they associate themselves with anyway.
This garbage is not True Islam: Please visit:
http://www.answering-christianity.com/ac11.htm#links.
Take care,
Osama Abdallah