Clerics confirm Rajab Butt’s viral video 'not disrespectful' to namaz

Renowned YouTuber Rajab Butt responded to criticism over disrespecting namaz in a viral video. In a bid to clarify the controversy, he recorded a video with clerics from various sects.

A TikTok account managed by Adnan Ali (@adnanaliareezay), reportedly a close friend of Rajab Butt, shared a video showing the YouTuber seated with multiple clerics.

Addressing the issue, Rajab stated, “For the past few days, I have been accused of disrespecting namaz. I requested clerics from different sects to confirm whether, God forbid, I committed any act of disrespect or hurt anyone’s sentiments.”

Rajab further explained his side to the clerics, adding, “Prayer provides protection from all evils.”

The clerics affirmed that they had reviewed the video in question and found nothing disrespectful toward Islam. One of the religious scholars remarked, “Only the person who performs an act can explain their intention. Rajab clarified his intention to us, and we found nothing disrespectful.”

The controversy stemmed from an old video that recently resurfaced on social media. In the video, Rajab was seen offering prayer when his mother walks in with a phone, asking, “Who is Saba Jaan?” Rajab, in a humorous tone, continues his prayer loudly without breaking it. 

The video went viral, leading to accusations of exploiting religion for content.

Advocate Mian Bilal took legal action by visiting Lahore’s Mazzang police station to file a complaint and submitting a petition in the court for an FIR against Rajab Butt, alleging that the video disrespected Islam.

According to Bilal, the video enraged his colleagues, prompting them to pursue legal action. He added that the police summoned Rajab Butt to present his side of the story, but he failed to appear.

Bilal stated that the FIR could not be registered immediately due to a court holiday but warned that if Rajab did not issue an apology, he would "gift" him an FIR as a honeymoon and birthday present on December 28.

He further claimed that once the FIR was registered under Section 295-A, the lawyer and police would proceed to arrest Rajab Butt at his residence.

Bilal clarified that he had no personal connection with Rajab but was raising the issue solely due to the perceived disrespect toward namaz.

He also revealed that Rajab Butt’s family had not contacted him during the controversy, but several influential figures, including two MPAs, a politician, a social figure, and even people from the US, had reached out, urging him to forgive Rajab Butt.