‘A 350-year-old tradition’: Thursday eve ‘Shab Khwani’ resumes at Makhdoom Sahib shrine, devotees elated

Srinagar: Centuries-old tradition of ‘Shab Khwani’ on Thursday eve resumed at the revered shrine of Sultan-ul-Arifeen Hazrat Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom Sahib shrine after over two years.

The resumption of nightlong prayers elated the devotees even as pilgrims from all over the Kashmir valley remained engaged in shab khwani from Wednesday night.

Karwan-i-Islami, chairman, Maulana Ghulam Rasool Hami said the tradition of holding shab khwani at the shrine of the 16^th century Kashmiri Sufi saint was over 350 years old.

“After a long time, we have resumed shab khwani. It is a 350-year-old tradition and the shrine of Sultan-ul-Arifeen has remained the center of our devotion for centuries now. Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, ‘shab khwani’ on the eve of Thursday was not held for over two years. Thanks to the efforts of Muttahida Ulema Ahl-e-Sunnat Jammu and Kashmir, we restored the tradition of shab khwani,” he said.

The Karwan-i-Islami chairman said they will continue to carry forward the mission of the Sufi saints of Kashmir valley.

“InshaAllah, we will continue to carry on this tradition in the future. We will carry forward the mission of Ghaus-ul-Azam, Shah-e-Hamdan, and Sultan-ul-Arifeen. We also want to thank the administration for allowing resumption of Wednesday night shab,” he said.

The devotees present at the shrine were elated that shab khwani had finally resumed.

“As we were not allowed to hold shab khwani for over two years, devotees would spend Wednesday-Thursday nights on the stairs of Sultan-ul-Arifeen shrine. Even during Covid and prior restrictions, devotees were not allowed to enter the shrine premises but we would somehow reach here and sit on the staircases. We are glad that finally, shab khwani on Wednesday night has resumed,” said Sajad Ahmad, a devotee.

“Not just Muslims, but Pandits and Sikhs too visit the shrine of Sultan-ul-Arifeen and we will continue to uphold the Sufi traditions of Kashmir,” he added.

Sultan-ul-Arifeen was born in the village of Tujjar Sharif near Sopore in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district. His shrine is located on the southern slope of Hari Parbat hillock, also known as Koh-i-Maran locally.