MUZAFFARNAGAR: What began as the only way out to get support for her ailing son, Farmani Naz took to singing and in no time became a sensation with 3.84 million subscribers on social media.
A resident of a village in the Ratanpuri area of Muzaffarnagar, Naz recently drew the ire of clerics in Deoband when one of her bhajans on Lord Shiva was extensively played in Kanwar Yatra.
“We are living in a democracy and everyone has the right to do his work. Farmani Naz is a singer who can sing who is stopping her, there is no Fatwa issued against her. But I would like to say that our religion does not permit bhajans for other religions. This is against Shariat as well as tenets of Islam”, said Deoband based Maulana Ishaq Gora.
Another Deoband-based cleric, Mufti Asad Qasmi, said, “According to Islam, every kind of song is not allowed. If any Muslim does so, it is a big sin. Muslims should stay away from singing such songs. Despite Being a Muslim Farmani Naz is singing bhajans. She should stay away from this and ask forgiveness from God”.
Naz was married in 2017, to one Imran Ahmad from Hasanpur village in Meerut but domestic strife marred her marital bliss and to make things worse her newborn son developed some throat problem for which her in-laws pressured her to bring additional money from home. The man was even unfaithful to her.
Unnerved by the recurrent pressures and ill-treatment, Naz moved back to her native village Mohammadpur Maafi in Muzaffarnagar where a youth heard her singing and recorded her voice to upload on social media.
There was no turning back. She went on to participate in Indian Idol 2021. “I sing only for my son and that’s all that matters to me”, she says. ” I got a golden ticket in Indian Idol but I had to quit the show because my son had to undergo an operation”, she said.
When asked that Ulemas are not happy with her profession, she said,” I am living in Muslim dominated village and till today no one objected to my singing. I don’t know which Maulana objected as no one approached me”.
She was fond of singing in her childhood but couldn’t fulfill her dream because her parents didn’t like her hobby. “When I grew up, my parents got me married but my husband was unfaithful to me. He had an extramarital affair. Besides, I was repeatedly asked to bring additional money. I have a 4-year-old son. We live with my mother and brother in the village”.
“My brother Farman Khan and his friend Rahul uploaded my first song video (Milo Na Tum To Hum Ghabraye Milo to Aankh Churay) two years ago which had a good response. Lakhs of people watched and liked that first song. Since then we have made a lot of song videos and uploaded them on YouTube. I am earning a good amount from it”.
Her mother, Fatima Begum said,”Farmani is talented and is raising her child by singing songs. Recently, she recorded a number for Kanwar yatra. People always object that a Muslim girl is singing, but didn’t see that she has to look after her son too. She sings all kinds of songs, she has to do everything to raise her child, she sings bhajans, also sings Qawalis, she also performs Namaz, and she also maintains a livelihood.”
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