Singing 'I worship my mother India'
20-9-2006 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalamoalaikum I am a citizen of India and our government is making it obligatory to sing a song which has "I worship my Mother (India)" on seventh of September.I respect and love my country very much.What should I do?Please give me advice.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Acts of worship should only be devoted to Allaah Alone, Allaah Says (what means): {Say (O Muhammad): "Verily, I am commanded to worship Allaah (Alone) by obeying Him and doing religious deeds sincerely for Allah's sake only and not to show off, and not to set up rivals with Him in worship.} [Quran 39:11]. Allaah further Says (what means): {You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).} [Quran 1:5]. Therefore, if a person says that he worships other than Allaah, then he has indeed uttered a word of disbelief, and whoever does this deliberately without being forced, become a non-Muslim. Ibn Taymiyyah 
said: "Whoever deliberately utters a word of disbelief with his tongue and without a necessity, knowing that it is a word of disbelief, then he becomes a non-Muslim inwardly [between him and Allaah] and outwardly [between him and the people]."
Therefore, it is forbidden for a Muslim to sing this expression deliberately and of his own choice. However, if he predominantly thinks that he will be severely punished or be killed and the like, and there is no other alternative but to say this expression, then he is may say it, Allaah Says (what means): {Whoever disbelieved in Allaah after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with Faith.} [Quran 16:103].
One should ascertain that he fits in the category that is considered of those who are being forced before uttering the word of disbelief. Ibn Taymiyyah said: "The compulsion that is considered in uttering the word of disbelief, is not like the compulsion in giving a gift and the like, indeed Imaam Ahmad stated in many places that the compulsion for uttering a word of disbelief is only accepted if one is expected to get punished, tortured or tied…"
The correct opinion is that the threat from a person who is able to carry out the punishment is like the threat of carrying the punishment, as Abu Bakr Ibn Al'-Arabi said.
Finally, it should be mentioned that if a person who is forced is able to use Tawriyah (saying something which has more than one meaning and intending a meaning different from what the listener is likely to understand), then he is obliged to do so.
To conclude, the Muslims in that country are obliged to debate with the authorities and clarify to them that this is forbidden in our religion, and they should really be very determined about it so that they will not be forced to do such things. If they are sincere and truthful in doing this, Allaah will help them to achieve their objective.
Allaah Knows best.