‘Khoje-e-Digar’ observed, devotees in large number throng shrine, attend spl prayers

Srinagar: ‘Khoje-e-Digar’, the 400 year-old tradition at Khanqah-i-Naqshbandiya was on Wednesday observed at the revered shrine of Hazrat Khawaja Syed Bha-ud-Din Naqashband (RA) in Old city area of Srinagar.
A large number of devotees thronged the revered shrine Wednesday where they offered Asr (Digar) prayers. The special prayers at the revered shrine is being held annually on 3rd Rabi-Ul-Awal of the Islamic Calendar at Asar Salah.
However, unlike previous years, the head cleric of Jamia Masjid Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who continued to remain under house detention couldn’t address the gathering during the special prayers while Molana Syed Toib Hussain Shah Kamli addressed the gathering Wednesday.
It is worth mentioning here that over the past 100 years, Mirwaizeen have been addressing congregational gatherings at the shrine.
Witnesses said that devotees in large number attended the special prayers Wednesday. “Not only in the shrine premises but the roads outside the shrine also remained flooded with the devotees,” they said.
Special prayers were also held to seek mercy of Allah from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Soon after the congregational Asr prayers culminated, the Imam recited Awraad-e-Asriya, (a booklet comprising verses of repentance and faith), the great sufi saint used to recite along with his hundreds’ of disciples 700 years ago at Bukhara in Uzbekistan.
Hazrat Khawja Naqshband (RA) was born in 718 AH at Qasr-i-Arifan, a village in Bukhara. A shrine is dedicated to him at Khawaja Bazar in Downtown, where one of the great saints of Naqshbandi order, Hazrat Moinudin Naqshband (RA) is laid to rest along with his wife and two sons