April 6, 2007
Prayers for Peace at Milad Friday Prayers
at Hazratbal By F. Ahmed
Srinagar
The bright spring sun shone as thousands gathered in the holy
Hazratbal shrine in Jammu and Kashmir Friday to pray for peace and
prosperity and also had a glimpse of the Prophet's Holy Relic kept
there.
The day is special as it is the Friday following Milad-un-Nabi, the
Prophet's birthday, which has special significance for Muslims
around the world.
Traditionally, the local Muslims gather at the Hazratbal shrine each
year to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet and have a glimpse of
the Holy Relic, a hair from the Prophet's beard, which is kept
inside the Hazratbal shrine.
Its custodian displayed the Holy Relic to the devotees after the
Friday prayers amid highly emotional scenes.
Crying for Allah's mercy, the huge crowd looked at the Holy Relic
with moist eyes.
The believers prostrated themselves in prayer lines with no
distinction between the rich and the poor.
"This is the miracle of Islam. Its message of universal brotherhood
and of everybody being equal in Allah's eyes," said Muhammad Shafi,
49, who had come from Ganderbal district.
The Hazratbal shrine is not only the holiest Muslim shrine in the
Kashmir Valley, it is also Kashmir's biggest social rendezvous.
The devotees buy vegetables, foodstuffs, grains and sweetmeat at
tastefully decorated stalls at the shrine during the festival days
coinciding with the Prophet's birthday.
The administration had made elaborate arrangements for the
transport, water and medical care for Friday's gathering.
Hundreds of buses carrying devotees to and from the shrine plied
through the day. The number of devotees is estimated to have been
more than 100,000.
The devotees spread their prayer mats on the sprawling lawns of the
shrine complex and prayed for health, prosperity and peace.
"It is time we move forward in an atmosphere free of fear and
tension. Allah should grant us deliverance from sufferings and
conflict. We have had enough," said Siraj-ud-Din, 37, who had come
from Rafiabad town in Baramulla district for the special prayers.
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