Humanity Above Religion: Muslim Brothers Cremate Their Brahmin Uncle According To Hindu Rituals

A select few people in society routinely use religion to divide the masses - turning them against each other and feeding them with hatred and disrespect for other religions. But for every such person, there is also someone who, through his/her deeds, proves that religion is not meant to divide; that respecting one religion does not have to mean disrespecting another.

Take for instance, these three Muslim brothers in Gujarat, who embraced Hindu customs for a day in order to cremate their father¡¯s dear friend of four decades, who was a Brahmin. Brothers Abu, Naseer and Zuber Qureshi are daily wage labourers who are deeply religious - they offer namaz five times a day and have never skipped a Ramzan fast.

When their uncle passed away - one who had been living with them for years - they decided to cremate him the proper Hindu way. To do the same, they donned Dhoti and Janeu (sacred thread Hindu¡¯s wear).

Times Of India

Divisive forces might not look upon this kindly, but their gesture was heartfelt.

¡°When Bhanushankar uncle was on his death bed, we procured Ganga jal for him from a Hindu family. When he passed away, we told our neighbours that we wanted to perform his last rites in accordance with rituals followed by Brahmin families. We were told that the janeu was a must to lift the bier. We readily agreed to it,¡± Zuber told the Times Of India.

The pyre was lit by Naseer¡¯s son, Arman. ¡°We are also going to have Arman¡¯s head tonsured on the 12th day because that is the custom Hindus follow,¡± Naseer told TOI. Bhiku Qureshi - their father - and Pandya - their uncle - were friends since they first met as labourers over 40 years ago. Pandya was left heartbroken when Qureshi died three years ago.

¡°Uncle would wholeheartedly celebrate Eid. Bhanushankar uncle did not have a family, so when he fractured his leg many years ago, our father asked him to move in with us. He became part of our family," Abu told TOI.

Representational Image

Till Bhanushankar was there, Qureshi's would prepare a pure and proper vegetarian meal for him.

¡°Our children used to address him as ¡®Dada¡¯ and our wives would touch his feet to seek his blessings. Uncle would wholeheartedly participate in Eid festivities, never forgetting to buy gifts for the kids,¡± his brother Naseer added.

No religion preaches hatred or disrespect, and incidents like this one prove that, there might be a lot of hate in the world, but there's also a whole lot of love.