Mumbai: Actor Sara Ali Khan’s visit to the Kedarnath temple has sparked controversy after Uttar Pradesh-based Islamic cleric Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi reportedly issued a fatwa over her offering prayers at the shrine, describing the act as ‘haraam’.
On Sunday, October 25, Sara was spotted waiting in a queue outside the Kedarnath shrine for darshan.
After offering prayers, she was seen standing outside the temple with her hands folded.
In a video statement, the cleric described worship according to another religion as “impermissible and haram under Sharia”.
He also urged the actor to repent before Allah, saying she should do so “like a guilty person”.
“Several youngsters have asked me whether Sara’s act of worshipping at Kedarnath is permissible under Sharia. I want to make it clear that such acts are not permissible,” he said.
Sara has faced criticism from religious figures over her Kedarnath visits in the past as well. A fatwa is a religious ruling or opinion on a question of Islamic law issued by a qualified Islamic scholar.
The daughter of actors Amrita Singh and Saif Ali Khan, Sara has been visiting Kedarnath for the past four years.
Her debut film, Kedarnath (2018), co-starring the late Sushant Singh Rajput, also faced opposition from right-wing groups in Uttarakhand around its release.
Meanwhile, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), which manages the two shrines, requires non-Hindu visitors seeking to offer prayers to submit an affidavit.
BKTC CEO Sohan Singh Rangar confirmed to News18 that Sara’s team had submitted the document before her visit.