Highlights:
- Kareena Kapoor Khan received a legal notice over wearing a 30-carat emerald pendant engraved with Ayat-ul-Kursi.
- Congress leader Abbas Hafeez objected to how the sacred Quranic verse was presented in her Diwali photographs.
- The notice was also sent to celebrity stylist Rhea Kapoor, who described the pendant as a 200-year-old Bhopal royal heirloom.
- Hafeez says the presentation caused hurt and concern among members of the Muslim community.
- He has demanded removal of the social media posts, a public apology and an assurance of respectful presentation.
Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan has landed in a controversy after a Congress leader issued her a legal notice over photographs showing her wearing a royal emerald pendant engraved with Ayat-ul-Kursi, a sacred verse from the Quran. The notice argues that the way the religious inscription was presented in her Diwali photographs failed to reflect the reverence it deserves, raising concerns about religious sensitivity and the treatment of sacred symbols in fashion.
The notice, dated November 11, was issued by Abbas Hafeez, a Congress leader and national media coordinator, to Kareena and celebrity stylist Rhea Kapoor. Hafeez has objected to the presentation of the pendant in photographs shared on social media and has demanded that the posts be removed, along with a public apology and an assurance that the Quranic inscription will not be displayed in a manner that compromises its religious sanctity.
The controversy began when Kareena shared pictures of her Diwali outfit on Instagram. She wore a beige kaftan by designer Punit Balana, a matching turban and a 30-carat emerald pendant engraved with Ayat-ul-Kursi, the 255th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah.
Rhea, who styled the actor, described the jewellery as a 200-year-old heirloom associated with the former royal family of Bhopal. In her Instagram post, she wrote: “Kareena in a pure chandi kaftan and turban by Punit Balana, wearing a 200-year-old kalgi from the Nawab of Bhopal and the Begum of Bhopal’s 30-carat emerald, carved with the ‘Ayat-ul-Kursi.'”
She also described the pieces as heirlooms belonging to Kareena through her husband Saif Ali Khan's family. Saif's paternal grandmother, Sajida Sultan, was the daughter of Hamidullah Khan, the last ruling Nawab of Bhopal. The jewellery is said to have passed down through the family.
However, Hafeez's objection is not to Kareena's clothing or her decision to wear royal jewellery. His concern is specifically about displaying a Quranic inscription in a way he believes does not demonstrate sufficient respect for its religious significance.
The notice states: “My client clarifies that he does not seek to comment on or control either person’s general clothing, personal choices or freedom to wear jewellery. However, his specific concern is that, when wearing and publicly presenting an item bearing Ayat-ul-Kursi, the overall presentation – including the attire in which it is displayed and the manner and context of the social-media post – should, in his view, reflect the reverence due to a sacred Quranic inscription.”
It further refers to differing views among Islamic scholars on wearing Quranic verses as jewellery. Some scholars, it says, advise against the practice, emphasizing the need to protect sacred inscriptions from disrespectful treatment.
The notice also says the presentation has caused “hurt and concern” among members of the Muslim community and people with ancestral, cultural and historical connections to the former Bhopal princely state.
Hafeez has clarified that he issued the notice in his individual capacity and not on behalf of the Congress party. His demands include removing the photographs, videos and posts from social media, issuing a public apology and ensuring that the sacred inscription is not presented in a manner that compromises its sanctity.
The notice has brought religious sensitivity, personal expression and the use of sacred symbols in celebrity fashion into focus. However, it remains a legal demand, not a court finding against Kareena or Rhea.
