Only Kashmir News Desk
After a gap of two years, thousands of devotees on Wednesday offered Khwaja or Khoja Digar – special mass prayers after Asr – to mark the Urs of Khwaja Naqshband Sahib (RA) at his shrine in Khwaja Bazar area of Srinagar city.
Contrary to the tradition this year Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir was unable to deliver the sermon before the traditional prayers as he is under continuous house arrest since the abrogation of Article 370.
Last year no such special mass prayers were held due to the lockdown in Valley following after the abrogation of Article 370 on 5th Aug 2019.
The practice of ‘Khwaja Digar continues as a tradition from the times of Hazrat Khwaja Khawand Mahmood i.e. from 1017 AH- 407 years.
Hazrat Khwaja Baha-Ud-Din Naqshband (RA) Hazrat Khwaja Baha-ud-Din bin Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad Naqshband was born in 718 AH at Qasr-i-Arifan, a village in Bukhara. Hazrat Khwaja left for heanly abode on this day i.e. on 3rd Rabu ul Awal 791AH at the age of 73 and was buried in Bukhara.
In Kashmir the Naqshbandi order was initially intoduced by Sayid Hilal, who arrived in the reign of Sutan Sikandar (1389-1413 AD). Sayid Hilal is said to have been a direct disciple of Khwaja Baha-ud-Din Muhammad Naqshband.
Photos: Iqbal Beigh/Onlykashmir
