Onlykashmir.in News Desk
SRINAGAR: Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq on Friday urged Kashmiris, particularly the younger generation, to speak, read and value their mother tongue, declaring that to preserve Kashmiri is to preserve the community’s identity, memory and civilisational heritage. He was addressing the Friday congregation at Jama Masjid Srinagar.
Paying tribute to Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani (RA), Alamdar-e-Kashmir, the Mirwaiz recalled the saint’s enduring spiritual, moral and cultural contribution to the lives of Kashmiris. He said Sheikh-ul-Alam’s Shruks enriched and preserved the Kashmiri language, and described the saint as a standard bearer of Imaan and tawheed, whose discourse in the vernacular remains a cherished treasure of the Valley’s distinct Islamic identity and heritage. Strengthening these concepts and practising them in daily life, he said, is the best tribute that can be paid to the patron saint.
Turning to the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema Jammu and Kashmir, the Mirwaiz referred to the September 15 conference and said a committee had been formed to review the suggestions and recommendations of the participating Ulema and work out how to implement them. The committee met this week and discussed a structured follow-up programme.
He announced that the first coordinated Khutbah across participating mosques and Imambargahs will be delivered on Friday, October 16, and will focus on “Imaan, Faith” as the fundamental common ground that binds the Muslim Ummah together. Despite differences of Maslak and religious interpretation, he said, Muslims are united by the essentials of their faith, and strengthening Imaan is the starting point for strengthening the individual, the family and society.
The Mirwaiz said that when this shared foundation is recognised, legitimate religious differences can be approached with greater respect, restraint and the Islamic ethics of disagreement, rather than becoming a cause of hostility or division. He described the Mimbar as an Amanah that should be used to deepen faith, strengthen common bonds and remind people of the responsibilities that flow from Imaan.
Other issues identified at the conference, including unity of the Ummah, drug abuse, suicide and mental-health concerns, youth challenges, misuse of social media, family concerns and environmental responsibility, will be taken up one by one on subsequent Fridays as part of the coordinated programme.
Carrying forward another decision of the September conference, he said the first district-level Ulema meeting will be held at Bandipora. The one-day gathering will deliberate on the societal challenges confronting people locally and explore how Ulema, mosques and madrasas can respond in a coordinated and practical way. The process will later be extended to other areas, so that the conference recommendations translate into practical action at the grassroots.
The Mirwaiz also announced that next Friday he will deliver the sermon at the shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani (RA) at Charar-e-Sharief.
