LAHORE - The 973rd Urs of Hazrat Ali Hajveri famously known as Data Ganj Bakhsh concluded yesterday amid elaborate security arrangements.
More than 1.3 million devotees from all over the country participated during three day spiritual and cultural rituals with traditional zeal and enthusiasm.
The devotees participated in activities like preaching congregations, Mahafil-e-Samaa, Qirat, Qawwalis and spiritual gatherings addressed by Ulema, Mashaikhs.
Thousands of policemen in uniform and white, private security guards and volunteers performed duties to avoid any untoward happening. They checked participants through metal detectors and allowed entry through walkthrough gates. Generators were installed to provide uninterrupted power supply to the well illuminated shrine. Special camps of health department, Rescue 1122 and civil defence were also set up to facilitate the devotees.
Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar inaugurated the Urs by Chadar Poshi on first day. Punjab Minister for Auqaf and Religious Affairs Atta Muhammad Manika supervised the three day proceedings.
Noted Qaris recited the Holy Quran and Naat Khawans continued enthralling the devotees in several sessions.
Ulema participated in the preaching congregations and meetings.
Special prayers were offered for security, solidarity and prosperity of the country, success of ongoing Zarb-e-Azab, freedom of Kashmir and Palestine.
Huge rush was witnessed at the milk sabeel and the langar where not only the destitute but also devotees were lined up trying to have just one morsel of the blessed food.
There were many men and women who had travelled large distances to seek special blessings of the Almighty Allah and offer special prayers to fulfil their needs and solve the problems.
Data Ganj Bakhsh was a Persian sufi and scholar during the 11th century. He was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan (990 AD) during the Ghaznavid Empire and settled and died in Lahore spreading Islam in South Asia.
His most famous work is Revelation of the Veiled (Kashf Al Mahjub), written in the Persian language. The work, which is one of the earliest and most respected treatises of Sufism, debates Sufi doctrines of the past.
Urs of Mujaddid Alf Sani
on 29th
The annual Urs of Imam Rabbani Mujaddid Alf Sani Hazrat Sheikh Ahmed Sarhandi is being celebrated on November 29th.
The Alf Sani Society will make special arrangements for a function of this occasion in the city.