Srinagar- Mosques across the valley, including the central Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, hosted ‘Salat-ul-Istisqa’, a special prayer seeking end to the protracted dry period. Thousands of people from across Kashmir participated in the prayers and sought forgiveness and divine intervention for much-needed rain and snowfall.
People were seen raising their hands in supplication to seek an end to the arid weather conditions in Kashmir.
The Imam-e-Hai, Maulana, Syed Ahmad Syed Naqshbandi, following instructions of Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, led Salat-ul-Istisqa at historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of the cold city.
“Mirwaiz Umer Farooq recently chaired a meeting and directed for Salat-ul-Istisqa at Jamia Masjid today. Later on, religious leaders from various sects of the religion pushed for the collective prayers in mosques across Kashmir,” Imam-e-Hai, Maulana Syed Ahmad Syed Naqashbandi told reporters post Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid.
Imam-e-Hi called for unity among the different sects of the society, arguing that sectarian divisions only serve to damage the faith and that all Muslims must choose unity above mudslinging, at this juncture.
He said the special prayer; called Salat-ul-Istisqa, is aimed at seeking Allah’s forgiveness when drought-like situations emerge in any part of the world.
Natural disasters like droughts, forest fires, floods, and earthquakes are obvious when according to Imam-e-Hi, people ignore the teachings of the holy Quran and parents fail to monitor their children’s routine activities.
Reports of special prayers intended to seek Allah’s mercy to end prolonged dry spell in Kashmir were received from other districts of the valley including Baramulla, Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Shopian, Kupwara, Pulwama and Bandipora as well
He said drug addiction and other immoral acts are rampant in Kashmir, with parents taking no serious note of the day to day activities of their children.
Tanveer Ahmad, a resident of Seer Hamdan village of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district said the ongoing dry period has worried Kashmiri farmers, asserting that if there is no precipitation this winter, the agriculture industry would ruin.
“I travelled to Srinagar from south Kashmir only to attend Salat-ul-Istisqa, and prayed to Allah to have rain or snow in Kashmir so the drought-like situation ends. I hope Allah will listen to our prayers and there will be adequate snowfall in Kashmir this winter,” he added.
Shams-ud-Din, a native of Chadoora Budgam, said the custom of holding special prayers during crises in Kashmir dates back to centuries and that Allah never fails his creation.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
