The Business of Religion – My Pain as a Muslim
I need to say something that has been burning inside me for a long time. It is about my own fellow Muslims, and it hurts me deeply. We have turned religion—something meant to be pure, simple, and strictly based on the Qur’an and Sunnah—into nothing but a business and a carnival.
Let me start with what happens at Dargahs (shrines). I see Muslims going there, laying flowers on graves, tying threads, and making huge donations. I see them gathering every year for Urs festivals, where thousands come together not to worship Allah, but to dance, sing, beat drums, and indulge in rituals that have absolutely no place in Islam. These events block traffic, create pollution, disturb entire cities, and still get celebrated as if they are sacred.
Then there are the Tajiya processions. People spend time and money building massive replicas “in honor of the Prophet” and then carry them to a river or sea to submerge them. Tell me—where in the Qur’an or Hadith is this allowed? Where did the Prophet ﷺ ever teach us to build paper structures and throw them into water? He warned us against bid‘ah (innovation in religion). Yet, every year, more and more of these man-made rituals are added, and people blindly follow.
And who benefits? The Dargahs collect donations day and night. Local vendors, food stalls, and small businesses make a fortune during these festivals. Entire markets mushroom around these so-called “religious” gatherings. It has become nothing but big business in the name of religion.
What breaks my heart is that Muslims who take part in these things rarely stop to ask, “Is this actually part of Islam?” Instead, they follow whatever a local religious leader tells them. They never open the Qur’an to check. They never read the Hadith for themselves. Ignorance becomes the fuel, and money becomes the fire that keeps this cycle going.
The saddest part? The world is watching. Non-Muslims look at us and cringe. They see chaos, noise, traffic jams, pollution, and strange rituals that we ourselves cannot prove from our own religion. And I cannot even blame them—because we are the ones putting on this show.
This disease has spread beyond shrines. Look at how Eid Milad-un-Nabi (the Prophet’s birthday) is celebrated in many countries today. Streets blocked with processions, loudspeakers blasting, fireworks, parades, decorations everywhere. Do you think the Prophet ﷺ would have approved of this circus in his name? He lived a life of humility. He never celebrated his own birthday like this, nor did his companions. Yet today, we’ve turned it into another spectacle—louder, flashier, and more cringeworthy every year.
Even here in the United States, where I live, I see things that disturb me. Muslims praying Taraweeh at Times Square during Ramadan, turning prayer into a public display. Why? When mosques are open and available, why bring it to the busiest street in America? Why mix worship with showmanship?
And it’s not just Muslims. Hindus have Ganesh processions and immersions that paralyze cities. Shia Muslims hold public matam (self-flagellation) processions. Every religion seems to want to take to the streets. But here’s my point: religion does not belong on the streets. Streets are for everyone—traffic, commerce, daily life. Worship should stay inside places of worship.
I am pleading with governments and authorities worldwide: please stop granting permission for these processions and public gatherings. Let people worship freely, yes, but keep it indoors. Mosques, temples, churches, community halls—these exist for a reason. Use them. The moment religion spills onto roads, it stops being about God and becomes about attention, noise, and numbers.
To my fellow Muslims, I say this with love but also with frustration: stop being blind followers. Don’t hand over your money at shrines without asking where it goes. Don’t join a procession just because everyone else is. Don’t accept every ritual as “Islamic” without checking if the Prophet ﷺ ever practiced it. Do your own research. Open the Qur’an. Read the Hadith. If it wasn’t part of Islam then, it isn’t part of Islam now.
The truth is simple: Islam is pure. Islam is clear. Islam is complete. It does not need “additions.” It does not need “upgrades.” Every time we invent something new in the name of religion, we move one step away from Allah. And every time we turn religion into a business, we make it a mockery for the world to laugh at.
I condemn these public parades, noisy celebrations, and shrine-based businesses with all my heart. Whether it is Urs festivals, Milad processions, Times Square taraweeh, or Tajiya immersions—none of it is Islam. It is culture, it is show, it is money. And it has to stop.
Religion is not meant to be entertainment. Religion is not meant to be a circus. Religion is meant to be between you and Allah. Quiet, pure, and sincere. Anything else is just business. And business has no place in faith.