Kareena Kapoor Khan gets legal notice over Quranic verse on emerald pendant worn at Diwali

Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has received a legal notice over a royal piece of jewellery she wore on Diwali. Abbas Hafeez, a Congress leader from Bhopal, sent the notice to Kareena and her stylist Rhea Kapoor. The notice claims that the 30-carat emerald pendant around Kareena's neck carried the Ayat-ul-Kursi verse of the Holy Quran engraved on it.

On Diwali, Kareena wore a beige kaftan by designer Punit Balana with a matching turban. Kareena and Rhea Kapoor shared pictures of the look on Instagram. In her post, Rhea had said the jewellery was a historic heirloom of the Bhopal royal family, inherited from Sajida Sultan, Saif Ali Khan's grandmother and the daughter of the last Nawab of Bhopal.

Hafeez alleges that the pendant was used as a fashion accessory even though a sacred religious verse was engraved on it. The notice says this has hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community. It demands that the pictures be removed from social media and a public apology be offered. The Hindu Utsav Samiti of Bhopal, on the other hand, has backed Kareena and said she does not need to apologise. This has drawn more attention to the dispute.

Begum Shahnaz Sidrat, head of the Bazm-e-Khawateen, explained what Ayat-ul-Kursi is. According to her, it is one of the most important verses of the Quran. It is the 255th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, the second chapter of the Quran, and speaks at length of the oneness of Allah, his immense greatness, his all-encompassing knowledge and his control over all creation.

The term Ayat-ul-Kursi comes from Arabic. Ayat means a sacred sign or sentence of the Quran, while kursi is commonly taken to mean a seat or throne. The verse says that none but Allah is worthy of worship. He is ever living and the sustainer and protector of all creation. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes him. All that is in the heavens and on earth belongs to him. Not even a leaf stirs without his permission. Only he has complete knowledge of the past and future of human beings, and it is by his will alone that people grasp a small part of that knowledge.

Muslims link the verse directly with divine protection, prayer and remembrance of Allah. Millions of Muslims around the world recite it after the five daily prayers, before going to sleep at night or when leaving home. According to Sidrat, the practice is tied to a centuries-old religious tradition and the teachings of the Hadith. Reciting it is said to bring mental and spiritual peace in times of great hardship, fear or worry. However, the habits of every person and family are not the same, and the ways and occasions of reciting or keeping it can differ across communities and households.

Sidrat's view on the dispute is clear. She said it is not really a matter of controversy. Many women in traditional Muslim families wear lockets or amulets engraved with Ayat-ul-Kursi around their necks because it is considered a symbol of divine protection. According to her, there is an old tradition in her culture and in royal families of making and wearing jewellery with religious inscriptions.

Sidrat said some people deliberately raise such utterly meaningless controversies to gain minor fame or out of ignorance. She said the Quran is so vast and great a scripture that its importance will never diminish because of petty disputes of this kind. Many such controversies have arisen over the past several decades and faded with time, she said. She added that Islam and the Quran are not so weak that anyone's sentiments would be hurt by such trivial matters.

Kareena Kapoor Khan is a well-known actress and also the daughter-in-law of a historic royal family. The outfit and jewellery worn on Diwali are part of the heritage of her in-laws' family, the Bhopal royal house. The designer only gave that traditional look a modern, elegant form. It is therefore unlikely that there was any intention behind it to hurt anyone's religious sentiments.

The notice sent to Kareena is only an initial legal communication and not a final decision of a court. Her lawyers will give an appropriate legal reply to it. Kareena is a big name in Bollywood, so this routine notice is being discussed across the country.