Friday, February 29, 2008

With Prayers for Peace

By Fatima Raza, "964th Urs of Hazrat Data Ganj (RA) concludes with special Prayers" - Pakistan Times - Islamabad, Pakistan
Friday, February 29, 2008

Lahore: The three-day 'Urs' of the great Sufi saint, religious scholar and spiritualist of the 11th century Hazrat Ali bin Usman Hajveri (RA) – popularly known as Data Ganj Bukhsh (RA) concluded at midnight Thursday with prayers for peace, progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

Hundreds of thousands of the faithful – who had arrived Lahore from all areas of Pakistan as well as from different parts of the world – also offered special prayers for the entire Muslim world.

(...)

Hazrat Ali Hajvery (RA) was a Persian Sufi and a scholar. The greatest saint for all times was born in Hajver, a town of Ghazni in Afghanistan in 1000 AD (400 H) and died in Lahore in 1063 or 1071 AD.

He voyaged physically to many countries, including Turkistan, Transoxania, Iran, Iraq, and Syria where he met innumerable Sufis and Sheikhs, many of those have been mentioned in his book 'Kashf-ul-Mahjoob'.

During the Urs the shrine and its whereabouts were beautifully lit. A large number of devotees from different parts of the country besides tens of thousands from the city visited the Data Darbar [the Mausoleum] – to pay their homage by reciting verses from the Holy Quran. Qawals, and Naat Khawan recited mystic verses – paying tributes to the venerated saint.

Separate arrangements were made for women to visit the shrine.

'Langer Khana' (distributing free food) and milk sabeels were also made available for every-one comprising a large number of people.

According to some historians one of the first persons to become Muslim at the hand of Hazrat Data Gang Bakhsh (RA) was Rai Raju. He was Naib Hakim [Deputy Ruler] of Lahore at that time. On his conversion to Islam Hazrat Data Gang Bakhsh (RA) named him Shaikh Hindi. After this, many other people also converted to Islam.

When Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA) came to Lahore, he built a "Khanqah" and a Mosque, known as "Khishti Masjid", outside the city on a mound to the west of Bhati Gate near the bank of river Ravi.

It is said that when the mosque was originally being built by him some of the locals pointed out that 'the "Qibla" of the mosque is not in the right direction and appears towards south'. On complaint, he asked the people to say prayer and during the prayer he showed them the Holy Kaaba, consequently its direction was right.

It was one of the many miracles of the great saint.
This mosque became a model to look at for the fixing of Qibla of all the mosques in the following centuries.

The historical records tell us that after the death of Hazrat Data Gang Bakhsh (RA) because of the reverence and deep respect of the Muslims for the great Saint, the mosque has been the subject of renovation, addition and beautification for several times by different devotees.

(...)

On the south, in front of the mausoleum, there are two doors. One of these doors has beautiful Iranian inlaid work on gold. All the arches, the window frames and pillars in the mosque and mausoleum are in carved marble. The entire floor is also in marble.
The mosque is spread over a total area of 3,68,150 sq. ft. [34'201 sq. metres] and it is the third largest mosque in Pakistan. It can accommodate up to 52,600 people.

(...)

Hazrat Daata Ganj Bakhsh Ali Hujveri, R.A was well versed in all the Islamic sciences such as Tafsir; (exegesis) of the Holy Quran, Hadice; (Traditions of the Holy Prophet [PBUH], Fiqah; (Muslim Law), Firm Theology; (Elm-e-Kalam) history, jurisprudence and logic.

He was an eminent scholar, poet and author. He wrote seven different books on theology and religion but the most famous of them all is ‘Kashf-ul-Mahjoob’, an awe-inspiring book on Islamic mysticism.

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Friday, February 29, 2008

With Prayers for Peace
By Fatima Raza, "964th Urs of Hazrat Data Ganj (RA) concludes with special Prayers" - Pakistan Times - Islamabad, Pakistan
Friday, February 29, 2008

Lahore: The three-day 'Urs' of the great Sufi saint, religious scholar and spiritualist of the 11th century Hazrat Ali bin Usman Hajveri (RA) – popularly known as Data Ganj Bukhsh (RA) concluded at midnight Thursday with prayers for peace, progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

Hundreds of thousands of the faithful – who had arrived Lahore from all areas of Pakistan as well as from different parts of the world – also offered special prayers for the entire Muslim world.

(...)

Hazrat Ali Hajvery (RA) was a Persian Sufi and a scholar. The greatest saint for all times was born in Hajver, a town of Ghazni in Afghanistan in 1000 AD (400 H) and died in Lahore in 1063 or 1071 AD.

He voyaged physically to many countries, including Turkistan, Transoxania, Iran, Iraq, and Syria where he met innumerable Sufis and Sheikhs, many of those have been mentioned in his book 'Kashf-ul-Mahjoob'.

During the Urs the shrine and its whereabouts were beautifully lit. A large number of devotees from different parts of the country besides tens of thousands from the city visited the Data Darbar [the Mausoleum] – to pay their homage by reciting verses from the Holy Quran. Qawals, and Naat Khawan recited mystic verses – paying tributes to the venerated saint.

Separate arrangements were made for women to visit the shrine.

'Langer Khana' (distributing free food) and milk sabeels were also made available for every-one comprising a large number of people.

According to some historians one of the first persons to become Muslim at the hand of Hazrat Data Gang Bakhsh (RA) was Rai Raju. He was Naib Hakim [Deputy Ruler] of Lahore at that time. On his conversion to Islam Hazrat Data Gang Bakhsh (RA) named him Shaikh Hindi. After this, many other people also converted to Islam.

When Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA) came to Lahore, he built a "Khanqah" and a Mosque, known as "Khishti Masjid", outside the city on a mound to the west of Bhati Gate near the bank of river Ravi.

It is said that when the mosque was originally being built by him some of the locals pointed out that 'the "Qibla" of the mosque is not in the right direction and appears towards south'. On complaint, he asked the people to say prayer and during the prayer he showed them the Holy Kaaba, consequently its direction was right.

It was one of the many miracles of the great saint.
This mosque became a model to look at for the fixing of Qibla of all the mosques in the following centuries.

The historical records tell us that after the death of Hazrat Data Gang Bakhsh (RA) because of the reverence and deep respect of the Muslims for the great Saint, the mosque has been the subject of renovation, addition and beautification for several times by different devotees.

(...)

On the south, in front of the mausoleum, there are two doors. One of these doors has beautiful Iranian inlaid work on gold. All the arches, the window frames and pillars in the mosque and mausoleum are in carved marble. The entire floor is also in marble.
The mosque is spread over a total area of 3,68,150 sq. ft. [34'201 sq. metres] and it is the third largest mosque in Pakistan. It can accommodate up to 52,600 people.

(...)

Hazrat Daata Ganj Bakhsh Ali Hujveri, R.A was well versed in all the Islamic sciences such as Tafsir; (exegesis) of the Holy Quran, Hadice; (Traditions of the Holy Prophet [PBUH], Fiqah; (Muslim Law), Firm Theology; (Elm-e-Kalam) history, jurisprudence and logic.

He was an eminent scholar, poet and author. He wrote seven different books on theology and religion but the most famous of them all is ‘Kashf-ul-Mahjoob’, an awe-inspiring book on Islamic mysticism.

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