Maulana Madani criticises RSS leader’s call for Muslims to worship sun, rivers and trees

RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale’s reported suggestion that Muslims should worship the sun, rivers and trees for environmental reasons has drawn sharp criticism from the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, with its president, Maulana Mahmood Asad Madan,i saying the remarks run contrary to the very fundamentals of Islam and reflect a lack of seriousness in understanding Muslim religious beliefs.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Madani said Hindus and Muslims have lived together in India for centuries, and therefore the core Islamic belief in Tawhid — the oneness of God and worship of Him alone — “is neither obscure nor unknown to any educated person”.

Expressing “deep regret” over the reported remarks, Madani said it was unfortunate that Hosabale and other senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh functionaries, despite holding key positions, had shown “little seriousness” in understanding Islam and the religious beliefs of Muslims.

“Belief in Tawhid and Prophethood forms the very foundation of Islam, and even the slightest deviation from these principles removes a person from the fold of the faith,” Madani said, explaining that worship in Islam is strictly confined to Allah alone and does not permit any symbolic or alternative forms of veneration.

Responding to Hosabale’s suggestion that Muslims who offer namaz should also worship rivers from an environmental perspective, Madani drew a clear distinction between environmental responsibility and religious worship, stating that the two cannot be conflated. “Love for the land, nature and the environment, and efforts to protect them, are entirely different from worship,” he said.

Madani emphasised that Islam strongly encourages the protection of nature and the environment, but without compromising its core theological principles, adding that environmental consciousness cannot be promoted by asking followers of a monotheistic faith to alter or dilute their religious beliefs.

He further noted that communal harmony in India has historically been sustained through mutual respect for each other’s faiths, and warned that remarks questioning or disregarding fundamental religious doctrines could strain that coexistence.

Hosabale had reportedly made the remarks while speaking on environmental concerns, suggesting that Muslims, in addition to offering namaz, could worship natural elements such as rivers, a statement that has since sparked criticism from Muslim organisations.