Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Data’s anniversary celebrations end

Staff Report - Daily Times - Pakistan
Lahore, Wednesday, March 22, 2006

The annual three-day Urs (anniversary) of Lahore’s patron saint Data Gunj Buksh’s ended on Tuesday. Poetry, music, dance and love for humanity continue.

Thousands of devotees of the renowned Sufi saint, one of the major preachers of Islam in the subcontinent, visited his shrine from all over the country and abroad. Devotees participated in events featuring Sufi poetry, folk music and dance.
The weather remained pleasant and pilgrims were given free food and milk at the shrine.
A large number of visitors shopped at Lahore’s markets and went to parks and most cheap, small hotels and inns in the city were full. Several poor visitors spent the night in the open. The event also featured a large number of beggars coming to the city not only for free food and milk but also to collect alms from thousands of visitors.

The last day of the official celebration began with recitation from the Holy Quran. People laid chadors at the shrine and did the traditional dhamaal late into the night. A number of people spent the entire day at the shrine to pray and recite the Holy Quran. Punjab Religious Affairs and Auqaf Minister Sahabzada Saeedul Hasan Shah distributed prizes among the winners of Qawwali, Qirat and Naat competitions. The ceremony ended with prayers led by Allama Muhammad Maqsood Ahmad Qadri, khateeb of the Data Sahib Jamia Mosque.

Clerics participating in seminars and gatherings stressed the importance of peace and tolerance and said Sufi saints like Data Sahib played a key role in spreading Islam in the subcontinent. Prayers were offered for national security and prosperity. The district government had already announced a local holiday on the last day of the anniversary.

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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Data’s anniversary celebrations end
Staff Report - Daily Times - Pakistan
Lahore, Wednesday, March 22, 2006

The annual three-day Urs (anniversary) of Lahore’s patron saint Data Gunj Buksh’s ended on Tuesday. Poetry, music, dance and love for humanity continue.

Thousands of devotees of the renowned Sufi saint, one of the major preachers of Islam in the subcontinent, visited his shrine from all over the country and abroad. Devotees participated in events featuring Sufi poetry, folk music and dance.
The weather remained pleasant and pilgrims were given free food and milk at the shrine.
A large number of visitors shopped at Lahore’s markets and went to parks and most cheap, small hotels and inns in the city were full. Several poor visitors spent the night in the open. The event also featured a large number of beggars coming to the city not only for free food and milk but also to collect alms from thousands of visitors.

The last day of the official celebration began with recitation from the Holy Quran. People laid chadors at the shrine and did the traditional dhamaal late into the night. A number of people spent the entire day at the shrine to pray and recite the Holy Quran. Punjab Religious Affairs and Auqaf Minister Sahabzada Saeedul Hasan Shah distributed prizes among the winners of Qawwali, Qirat and Naat competitions. The ceremony ended with prayers led by Allama Muhammad Maqsood Ahmad Qadri, khateeb of the Data Sahib Jamia Mosque.

Clerics participating in seminars and gatherings stressed the importance of peace and tolerance and said Sufi saints like Data Sahib played a key role in spreading Islam in the subcontinent. Prayers were offered for national security and prosperity. The district government had already announced a local holiday on the last day of the anniversary.

No comments: