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Dargah

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"Sufi shrine" redirects here. For places in Iran, seeDargah, Iran (disambiguation).
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TheTomb of Salim ChishtiatFatehpur Sikri,India was built in 1581 during the reign ofMughalEmperorAkbar.
Aqawwaliperformance at theAjmer Sharif DargahatAjmer,India. The dargah houses the grave ofMoinuddin Chishtiof theChishti order.
Shrine of Bahauddin ZakariyainMultan,Pakistan.Bahauddin Zakariyawas a famous saint of theSuhrawardiyya order.
Sufi saint Shahul Hameed's tomb at Nagore Dargah in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu
Shrine ofPir Hadi Hassan Bux Shah JilaniatDuthro SharifinSanghar District,Pakistan

Adargah(Persian:درگاهdargâhorدرگهdargah,Turkish:dergâh,Hindustani:dargāhदरगाह درگاہ,Bengali:দরগাহdôrgah) is ashrineortombbuilt over the grave of a revered religious figure, often aSufi saintordervish.Sufisoften visit the shrine forziyarat,a term associated with religious visitation and pilgrimages. Dargahs are often associated with Sufi eating and meeting rooms and hostels, calledkhanqahor hospices. They usually include a mosque, meeting rooms, Islamic religious schools (madrassas), residences for a teacher or caretaker, hospitals, and other buildings for community purposes.

The same structure, carrying the same social meanings and sites of the same kinds of ritual practices, is calledmaqamin the Arabic-speaking world.

Dargah today is considered to be place where saints prayed and mediated (their spiritual residence). Shrine is modern day building which encompasses of actual dargah as well but not always.

Etymology[edit]

Dargahis derived from a Persian word which literally means "portal" or "threshold."[1]The Persian word is a composite of "dar(در) "meaning" door, gate "and"gah(گاه) "meaning" place ". It may have a connection orconnotationwith theArabicword "darajah(دَرَجَة) "meaning" stature, prestige, dignity, order, place "or may also mean" status, position, rank, echelon, class " Some Sufi and other Muslims believe that dargahs are portals by which they can invoke the deceased saint's intercession and blessing (as pertawassul,also known asdawat-e qaboor[2][Persian:da‘wat-i qabũrدعوتِ قبور,"invocationsof the graves or tombs "] or‘ilm-e dawat[Persian:‘ilm-i da‘watعِلمِ دعوت,"knowledge ofinvocations"]). Still others hold a less important view of dargahs, and simply visit as a means of paying their respects to deceased pious individuals or to pray at the sites for perceived spiritual benefits.

However, dargah is originally a core concept in Islamic Sufism and holds great importance for the followers ofSufisaints.Many Muslims believe their wishes are fulfilled after they offer prayer or service at a dargah of the saint they follow. Devotees tie threads ofmannat(Persian:منّت,"grace, favour, praise" ) at dargahs and contribute tolangarand pray at dargahs.

Over time, musical offerings of dervishes andsheikhsin the presence of the devout at these shrines, usually impromptu or on the occasion ofUrs,gave rise to musical genres likeQawwaliandKafi,whereinSufi poetryis accompanied by music and sung as an offering to amurshid,a type of Sufi spiritual instructor. Today they have become a popular form of music and entertainment throughoutSouth Asia,with exponents likeNusrat Fateh Ali KhanandAbida Parveentaking their music to various parts of the world.[3][4]

Throughout the non-Arab Muslim world[edit]

Sufi shrines are found in many Muslim communities throughout the world and are called by many names. The termdargahis common in the Persian-influenced Islamic world, notably in Iran, Turkey and South Asia.[5]

InSouth Africa,the term is used to describe shrines in theDurbanarea where there is a strongIndianpresence, while the termkeramatis more commonly used inCape Town,where there is a strongCape Malayculture.[6]

In South Asia, dargahs are often the site of festivals (milad) held in honor of the deceased saint on the anniversary of his death (urs). The shrine is illuminated with candles or strings of electric lights at this time.[7]Dargahs in South Asia, have historically been a place for all faiths since the medieval times; for example, theAjmer Sharif Dargahwas a meeting place for Hindus and Muslims to pay respect and even to the revered SaintMu'in al-Din Chishti.[8][9]

In China,the termgongbeiis usually used for shrine complexes centered around a Sufi saint's tomb.[10]

Worldwide[edit]

There are many active dargahs open to the public worldwide where aspirants may go for a retreat. The following is a list of dargahs open to the public.

Opposition by other Sunni groups[edit]

TheAhl-i Hadith,Deobandi,SalafiandWahhabireligious scholars argue against the practice of constructing shrines over graves, and consider it as associating partners with God, which is calledshirk.[14]They believe Islamic prophetMuhammadstrongly condemned the practice of turning graves into places of worship and even cursed those who did so.[15][16]The currentWahhabi rulersofSaudi Arabiahavedestroyedmore than 1400-year-old grave sites ofcompanionsandahl al-baytincludingOthman,KhadijaandAishaamongst numerous others,[17][18][19]although visiting graves is encouraged in Islam to remember death and theDay of Judgment.[19][20][21]

Sufi Defence on Permissibility of Dargah[edit]

Sufis, refute such claims on the basis of misquotation of hadith. The hadith"Let there be curse of Allah upon the Jews and the Christians for they have taken the graves of their apostles as places of worship.(Sahih Muslim)",[22]is directed towards the disbelievers not the Muslims who took graves as place of worship i.e. they prayed facing towards the graves, this is not the practice of Sufis as they do not take graves as theirQibla(direction). As for constructing structure over grave, it is refuted on the basis that the grave of ProphetMuhammadand the first two Khalifa,Abu BakrandUmar,itself have a structure over it.

To construct a building, shelter or edifice around the graves of theAuliya Allah(Friends of Allah) andScholarsof Islam or nearby is proven to be permissible from the Quran and practice and rulings of theSahaba,.

Narrating the incident of the People of the Cave [Ashaab-e-Kahf), theHoly Quranstates, “The person who was dominant in this matter said, “We shall build a Masjid over the People of the Cave.” – [Surah Kahf. Verse 21]

ImamFakhr al-Din al-Raziexplains the above Quran verse in his famousTafsir al Kabeer,"And when Allah said {Those who prevailed over their affair} this refers to theMuslim ruleror the friends of Ashaab al Kahf (i.e. believers) or the leaders of town. {We will surely build a Mosque over them} so that we canworship Allahin it andpreserve the relics of companions of the cave due to this mosque”[Tafsir al-Kabeer, 5/475].

ImamAbu al-Walid al-Baji,quotes in his bookAl-Muntaqa Sharh al-Muwatta(commentary ofMuwatta Imam Malik), "HadratUmarbuilt a dome over the grave of HadratZainab bint Jahsh,and SayyidahAishaon the grave of her brother Hadrat Abdur-Rahman and HadratMuhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyaon the grave of HadratIbn Abbas.So Whoever has classified building domes to be disliked (Makrooh) has said so if they are built in order to show off.(ImamBadr al-Din al-Ayni,also writes the same in his bookUmdat al-Qari -commentary ofSahih Bukhari)[23]

See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDargahs.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Ernst, Carl W.The Spirituality of the Sufi Shrine– Chapter 9, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality, 2022. pp. 165–179.doi:10.1002/9781118533789.ch9

References[edit]

  1. ^Delage, Remy; Boivin, Michel (2015).Devotional Islam in Contemporary South Asia: Shrines, Journeys and Wanderers.Routledge.ISBN978-1317380009.
  2. ^Bilgrami, Fatima Zehra (2005).History of the Qadiri Order in India.Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli. p. 291.
  3. ^KafiSouth Asian folklore: an encyclopedia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,by Peter J. Claus, Sarah Diamond, Margaret Ann Mills. Taylor & Francis, 2003.ISBN0-415-93919-4.p. 317.
  4. ^KafiCrossing boundaries,by Geeti Sen. Orient Blackswan, 1998.ISBN8125013415.p. 133.
  5. ^Alkazi, Feisal (2014).Srinagar: An Architectural Legacy.New Delhi: Roli Books.ISBN978-9351940517.
  6. ^Acri, Andrea; Ghani, Kashshaf; Jha, Murari K.; Mukherjee, Sraman (2019).Imagining Asia(s): Networks, Actors, Sites.Singapore: ISEAS.ISBN978-9814818858.
  7. ^Currim, Mumtaz; Michell, George (1 September 2004).Dargahs, Abodes of the Saints.Mumbai: Marg Publications.ISBN978-8185026657.
  8. ^Khan, Motiur Rahman (2010)."Akbar and the Dargah of Ajmer".Proceedings of the Indian History Congress.71.Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli: 226–235.ISSN2249-1937.JSTOR44147489.
  9. ^"How Dargahs Unite People Of All Faiths".nayadaur.tv.24 November 2020.
  10. ^"Muslim Architecture".China.org.Retrieved2020-06-07.
  11. ^"History of Dargah of Shah Ata".Asikolkata.in.ASI, Kolkata Circle.Retrieved2017-08-22.
  12. ^"Maqbara – Madurai Hazraths Maqbara".
  13. ^"Sheikh Nazım Al Haqqani Al Qubrusi An Naqshibandi".Retrieved6 April2016.
  14. ^"Building Mosques or Placing Lights on Graves"(PDF).21 March 2008.Retrieved11 July2014.
  15. ^"Sahih Muslim 528a – The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer – Sunnah – Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)".
  16. ^"Sahih al-Bukhari 3453, 3454 – Prophets – Sunnah – Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)".
  17. ^"Sunan an-Nasa'i 2048 – The Book of Funerals – Sunnah – Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)".sunnah.
  18. ^"Sunan an-Nasa'i 2047 – The Book of Funerals – Sunnah – Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)".sunnah.
  19. ^abOndrej, Beranek; Tupek, Pavel (July 2009). Naghmeh, Sohrabi (ed.).From Visiting Graves to Their Destruction: The Question of Ziyara through the Eyes of Salafis(PDF).Crown Paper (Crown Center for Middle East Studies/Brandeis University). Brandeis University. Crown Center for Middle East Studies. p. 19.Archived(PDF)from the original on 10 August 2018.Relying mainly on hadiths and the Qur'an, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's most famous work, The Book of God's Unicity (Kitab al-tawhid), describes a variety of shirk practices, such as occultism, the cult of the righteous (salih), intercession, oaths calling on other than God himself, sacrifices or invocational prayers to other than God, and asking other than Him for help. Important things about graves are remarked on in a chapter entitled "About the Condemnation of One Who Worships Allah at the Grave of a Righteous Man, and What if He Worships [the Dead] Himself." 72 Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab starts by quoting a hadith: "Umm Salama told the messenger of Allah about a church she had seen in Abyssinia in which there were pictures. The Prophet said: 'Those people, when a righteous member of their community or a pious slave dies, they build a mosque over his grave and paint images thereon; they are for God wicked people.' They combine two kinds of fitna: the fitna of graves and the fitna of images." He then continues with another hadith: "When the messenger of Allah was close to death, he... said: 'May Allah curse the Jews and Christians who make the graves of their prophets into places of worship; do not imitate them.'" From this hadith Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab derives the prohibition of building places of worship over graves, because that would mean glorification of their inhabitants, which would amount to an act of worship to other than Allah.
  20. ^"The Book of Prayer – Funerals – Sahih Muslim".Sunnah – Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم).Retrieved6 April2016.
  21. ^"Shrine – Oxford Islamic Studies Online".oxfordislamicstudies.Archived fromthe originalon February 24, 2021.Retrieved2018-08-10.Many modern Islamic reformers criticize visits to shrines as mere superstition and a deviation from true Islam.
  22. ^"Sahih Muslim 530b - The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer - Sunnah - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)".sunnah.Retrieved2024-01-30.
  23. ^Published: idarat al-ittabah al-Muniriya Qahira Egypt, Vol 8, Page 134.
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