Recitation of Allama Iqbal’s famous Urdu prayer triggers suspension of school staff in UP
Lucknow: In yet another instance highlighting rising intolerance and growing pressure on Muslim identity markers in Modi’s India, the recitation of the famous Urdu prayer “Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua” during a school morning assembly in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district has led to the suspension of three school staff members, including two Muslim teachers, and the registration of an FIR.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the action was taken after a video from a government primary school in Jalab Sarai area in Sambhal district went viral on social media, showing students reciting the Urdu prayer written by renowned poet and philosopher Allama Mohammad Iqbal.
Following the controversy, district authorities suspended principal Anjar Ahmad, assistant teacher Mohammad Gul Ejaz and acting principal Valesh Kumar, after allegations were levelled regarding the conduct of the morning assembly and the alleged use of religious practices inside the school. Officials said that the action was taken after the video showed children reciting the prayer. The lines heard in the video were: “Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri, zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri.”
The poem has historically been recited in schools across the Indian subcontinent for decades and is widely seen by educationists as a moral prayer focusing on knowledge, goodness and service to humanity. However, Hindutva groups objected to its recitation, claiming that it carried a religious tone and was inappropriate for a government school.
The controversy escalated after allegations surfaced that Hindu students were allegedly being given “Islamic education” and that some girls were encouraged to wear hijab during assembly. Questions were also raised over students wearing caps in the viral footage.
Following the online circulation of the video, the education department launched an inquiry. Subsequently, Sambhal District Magistrate Ankit Khandelwal ordered action against the school authorities. The Basic Education Department later suspended the principal and two teachers, while officials confirmed that an FIR had been registered against them. Two Block Education Officers have been appointed to submit detailed inquiry reports within seven days.
However, students at the school have completely refuted the claims made in the FIR. Several students clarified that they were never forced to wear hijabs or caps and that different kinds of prayers were conducted in the school on all seven days of the week. They also said that all religions were respected in the school and no one was pressured to follow any particular dress code.
The incident has once again started a wider political and social debate in Uttar Pradesh over language, culture and religious identity in educational institutions. Several Muslim organisations, Urdu scholars and civil society members questioned the action and argued that the prayer has long been treated as a cultural and literary piece rather than a tool for religious teaching. A resident from Sambhal said, “If patriotic songs and Sanskrit prayers are accepted in schools, then Urdu poetry should also not be viewed only through a religious lens.”
