https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=DargahDargah - Revision history2026-07-31T19:19:33ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Dargah&diff=113816&oldid=prev>Jwalker47 at 11:37, 7 June 20212021-06-07T11:37:46Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Grave shrine}}<br />
{{for|places in Iran|Dargah, Iran (disambiguation)}}<br />
{{Sufism}}<br />
[[File:Fatehpur Sikri near Agra 2016-03 img02.jpg|thumb|The [[Tomb of Salim Chishti]] at [[Fatehpur Sikri]], India was built in 1581 during the reign of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] Emperor [[Akbar]].]]<br />
[[File:Qawalli at Ajmer Sharif dargah.jpg|thumb|A ''[[qawwali]]'' performance at the [[Ajmer Sharif Dargah]] at [[Ajmer]], [[India]]. The dargah houses the grave of [[Moinuddin Chishti]] of the [[Chishti Order|Chishti order]].]]<br />
[[File:Splendid Shrine of Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya.jpg|thumb|[[Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya]] in [[Multan]], Pakistan. [[Bahauddin Zakariya]] was a famous saint of the [[Suhrawardiyya|Suhrawardiyya order]].]]<br />
[[File:Sufi saint Shahul Hameed's tomb at Nagore Dargah in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.jpg|thumb|Sufi saint Shahul Hameed's tomb at Nagore Dargah in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu]]<br />
[[File:Darbar-e-Jilani_duthro_Sharif.jpg|thumb|Shrine of [[Pir Hadi Hassan Bux Shah Jilani]] at [[Duthro Sharif]] in [[Sanghar District]], [[Pakistan]].]]<br />
<br />
A '''dargah''' ({{lang-fa|درگاه}} ''dargâh'' or {{lang|fa|درگه}} ''dargah'', [[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, {{lang-bn|দরগাহ}} ''dorgah'') is a [[shrine]] built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a [[wali|Sufi saint]] or [[dervish]]. [[Sufi]]s often visit the shrine for [[ziyarat]], a term associated with religious visits and “pilgrimages”. Dargahs are often associated with Sufi eating and meeting rooms and hostels, called ''[[khanqah]]'' or hospices. They usually include a mosque, meeting rooms, Islamic religious schools ([[madrassas]]), residences for a teacher or caretaker, hospitals, and other buildings for community purposes.<br />
<br />
The same structure, carrying the same social meanings and sites of the same kinds of ritual practices, is called ''[[maqam (shrine)|maqam]]'' in the Arabic-speaking world.<br />
<br />
Dargah today is considered to be place where saints prayed and mediated (their spiritual residence), although islamically such actions are considered to be blasphemous. Shrine is modern day building which encompasses of actual dargah as well but not always.<br />
<br />
== Etymology ==<br />
''Dargah'' is derived from a Persian word which literally means "portal" or "threshold."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Delage|first1=Remy|last2=Boivin|first2=Michel|title=Devotional Islam in Contemporary South Asia: Shrines, Journeys and Wanderers|date=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1317380009}}</ref> The Persian word is a composite of "''dar'' (<big>در</big>)" meaning "door, gate" and "''gah'' (<big>گاه</big>)" meaning "place". It may have a connection or [[connotation]] with the [[Arabic]] word "''darajah'' (<big>دَرَجَة</big>)" meaning "stature, prestige, dignity, order, place" or may also mean "status, position, rank, echelon, class".<br />
<br />
Some Sufi and other Muslims believe that dargahs are portals by which they can invoke the deceased saint's intercession and blessing (as per ''[[tawassul]]'', also known as ''dawat-e qaboor''<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bilgrami|first1=Fatima Zehra|title=History of the Qadiri Order in India|date=2005|publisher=Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli|page=291|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3UwAAAAYAAJ&q=dawat+sultan+bahoo}}</ref>[<nowiki/>[[Persian language|Persian]]: ''da‘wat-i qabũr''<big>دعوتِ قبور</big>, "[[invocation]]s of the graves or tombs"] or ''‘ilm-e dawat'' [<nowiki/>[[Persian language|Persian]]: ''‘ilm-i da‘wat'' <big>عِلمِ دعوت</big>, "knowledge of [[invocation]]s"]). Still others hold a less important view of dargahs, and simply visit as a means of paying their respects to deceased pious individuals or to pray at the sites for perceived spiritual benefits.<br />
<br />
However, dargah is originally a core concept in Islamic Sufism and holds great importance for the followers of [[Sufi]] [[saint]]s. Many Muslims believe their wishes are fulfilled after they offer prayer or service at a dargah of the saint they follow. Devotees tie threads of ''[[mannat]]'' ([[Persian language|Persian]]: <big>منّت</big>, "grace, favour, praise") at dargahs and contribute for [[Langar (Sufism)|langar]] and pray at dargahs. Dargahs dotted the landscape of [[Punjab]] even before the partition of the [[Indian Subcontinent]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Snehi |first1=Yogesh |date=October 2013 |title=Replicating Memory, Creating Images: Pirs and Dargahs in Popular Art and Media of Contemporary East Punjab |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260174061 |access-date=2020-06-07}}</ref><br />
<br />
Over time, musical offerings of dervishes and [[Sheikh (Sufism)|sheikh]]s in the presence of the devout at these shrines, usually impromptu or on the occasion of [[Urs]], gave rise to musical genres like [[Qawwali]] and [[Kafi]], wherein [[Sufi poetry]] is accompanied by music and sung as an offering to a ''[[murshid]]'', a type of Sufi spiritual instructor. Today they have become a popular form of music and entertainment throughout [[South Asia]], with exponents like [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]] and [[Abida Parveen]] taking their music to various parts of the world.<ref name="enc">[https://books.google.com/books?id=au_Vk2VYyrkC&pg=PA317&dq=abida+parveen&lr=#v=onepage&q=abida%20parveen&f=false Kafi] ''South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka'', by Peter J. Claus, Sarah Diamond, Margaret Ann Mills. Taylor & Francis, 2003. {{ISBN|0-415-93919-4}}. p. 317.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BfukTDZTBNMC&pg=PA133&dq=Kafi+poetry&lr=#v=onepage&q=Kafi%20poetry&f=false Kafi] ''Crossing boundaries'', by Geeti Sen. Orient Blackswan, 1998. {{ISBN|8125013415}}. ''p. 133''.</ref><br />
<br />
== Throughout the non-Arab Muslim world ==<br />
<br />
Sufi shrines are found in many Muslim communities throughout the world and are called by many names. The term ''dargah'' is common in the Persian-influenced Islamic world, notably in Iran, [[Turkey]] and [[South Asia]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Alkazi |first=Feisal |date=2014 |title=Srinagar: An Architectural Legacy|location=New Delhi |publisher=Roli Books |isbn=978-9351940517}}</ref><br />
<br />
In [[Islam in South Africa|South Africa]], the term is used to describe shrines in the [[Durban]] area where there is a strong [[Indian South African|Indian]] presence, while the term ''keramat'' is more commonly used in [[Cape Town]], where there is a strong [[Cape Malay]] culture.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Acri |first1=Andrea |last2=Ghani |first2=Kashshaf |last3= Jha |first3= Murari K. |last4=Mukherjee |first4= Sraman |year= 2019 |title=Imagining Asia(s): Networks, Actors, Sites |location= Singapore|publisher=ISEAS |isbn=978-9814818858 }}</ref><br />
<br />
In South Asia, dargahs are often the site of festivals ([[Milad (disambiguation)|''milad'']]) held in honor of the deceased saint on his passing away anniversary (''[[urs]]''). The shrine is illuminated with candles or strings of electric lights at this time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Currim |first1=Mumtaz |last2=Michell |first2=George |date=1 September 2004 |title=Dargahs, Abodes of the Saints |location=Mumbai |publisher=Marg Publications |isbn=978-8185026657}}</ref> Dargahs in South Asia, have historically been a place for all faiths since the medieval times; for example, the [[Ajmer Sharif Dargah]] was meeting place for Hindus and Muslims to pay respect and even to the revered Saint [[Mu'in al-Din Chishti]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Khan|first1=Motiur Rahman |title=Akbar and the Dargah of Ajmer|date=2010|publisher=Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44147489 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=71 |pages=226–235 |jstor=44147489 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://nayadaur.tv/2020/11/how-dargahs-unite-people-of-all-faiths/ |title=How Dargahs Unite People Of All Faiths|website=nayadaur.tv}}</ref><br />
<br />
[[Islam in China|In China]], the term ''[[Gongbei (Islamic architecture)|gongbei]]'' is usually used for shrine complexes centered around a Sufi saint's tomb.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.china.org.cn/travel/Ningxia/2011-01/04/content_21670030.htm |title=Muslim Architecture |website=China.org | access-date=2020-06-07}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Worldwide==<br />
There are many active dargahs open to the public worldwide where aspirants may go for a retreat. The following is a list of dargahs open to the public.<br />
* [[Baghdad Sharif Dargah]] of [[Abdul Qadir Jilani]], [[Ajmer]], [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]]<br />
* Dargah [[Lal Shahbaz Qalandar]], [[Sehwan Sharif]], [[Sindh]], [[Pakistan]]<br />
* Dargah [[Pir Hadi Hassan Bux Shah Jilani]], [[Duthro Sharif]], [[Sindh]], [[Pakistan]]<br />
* Dargah Murshid [[Nadir Ali Shah]], [[Sehwan Sharif]], [[Sindh]], [[Pakistan]]<br />
* [[A.K.Khan Dargah]] of Shaiykh Saiyed Razzaq Ali Gilani, [[Pahartali]], [[Chittagong]], [[Bangladesh]]<br />
* [[Shah Jalal Dargah]] in [[Sylhet]], [[Bangladesh]]<br />
* [[Ajmer Sharif Dargah]] of [[Moinuddin Chishti]], [[Ajmer]], [[Rajasthan]], [[India]]<br />
* Hazrat Syed [[Ashraf Jahangir Semnani]] at [[Ashrafpur Kichhauchha]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], India<br />
* [[Dargah of Shah Ata]] in [[Gangarampur]], [[West Bengal]], India<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asikolkata.in/dinajpur.aspx |publisher=ASI, Kolkata Circle |title=History of Dargah of Shah Ata|website=Asikolkata.in|access-date=2017-08-22}}</ref><br />
* [[Erwadi]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India<br />
* [[Nagore]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India<br />
* [[Thiruparankundram Dargah]], Tamil Nadu, India<br />
* [[Humaithara]], [[Egypt]]<br />
* [[Madurai Maqbara|Madurai Hazrat Maqbara]], [[Madurai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maqbara.com|title=Madurai Maqbara}}</ref><br />
* Sheikh Nazim Al-Haqqani in [[Lefka]], [[Cyprus]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saltanat.org|title=Sheikh Nazım Al Haqqani Al Qubrusi An Naqshibandi|access-date=6 April 2016}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Opposition by other Sunni groups==<br />
The [[Ahl-i Hadith]], [[Deobandi]], [[Salafi]] and [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] religious scholars argue against the practice of constructing shrines over graves, and consider it as associating partners with God or [[Shirk (Islam)|''shirk'']].<ref name="muslimhomeschool">{{cite web|url=http://www.muslimhomeschool.net/lessonplans/mosqueengyr5/Buildingmosqueslightsongravesnotes.pdf|date=21 March 2008|title=Building Mosques or Placing Lights on Graves|access-date=11 July 2014}}</ref> The [[Prophet Muhammad]] strongly condemned the practice of turning graves into places of worship and even cursed those who did so.<ref>https://sunnah.com/muslim/5/21</ref><ref>https://sunnah.com/bukhari/60/121</ref> The current [[House of Saud|Wahhabi rulers]] of [[Saudi Arabia]] have [[Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia|destroyed]] more than 1400-year-old grave sites of [[sahaba|companions]] and [[ahl al-bayt]] including [[Othman]], [[Khadija]] and [[Aisha]] amongst numerous others,<ref>{{cite book|title=Sunan an-Nasa'i 2047|url=http://sunnah.com/nasai/21/231}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Sunan an-Nasa'i 2046|url=http://sunnah.com/nasai/21/230}}</ref><ref name="brandeis">{{Cite book|url=https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/cp/CP2.pdf|title=From Visiting Graves to Their Destruction: The Question of Ziyara through the Eyes of Salafis|last1=Ondrej|first1=Beranek|last2=Tupek|first2=Pavel|date=July 2009|publisher=Brandeis University. Crown Center for Middle East Studies.|editor-last=Naghmeh|editor-first=Sohrabi|series=Crown Paper (Crown Center for Middle East Studies/Brandeis University)|pages=19|quote=Relying mainly on hadiths and the Qur’an, Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab’s most famous work, The Book of God’s Unicity (Kitab al-tawhid), describes a variety of shirk practices, such as occultism, the cult of the righteous (salih), intercession, oaths calling on other than God himself, sacrifices or invocational prayers to other than God, and asking other than Him for help. Important things about graves are remarked on in a chapter entitled “About the Condemnation of One Who Worships Allah at the Grave of a Righteous Man, and What if He Worships [the Dead] Himself.”72 Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab starts by quoting a hadith: “Umm Salama told the messenger of Allah about a church she had seen in Abyssinia in which there were pictures. The Prophet said: ‘Those people, when a righteous member of their community or a pious slave dies, they build a mosque over his grave and paint images thereon; they are for God wicked people.’ They combine two kinds of fitna: the fitna of graves and the fitna of images.” He then continues with another hadith: “When the messenger of Allah was close to death, he ... said: ‘May Allah curse the Jews and Christians who make the graves of their prophets into places of worship; do not imitate them.’” From this hadith Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab derives the prohibition of building places of worship over graves, because that would mean glorification of their inhabitants, which would amount to an act of worship to other than Allah.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810233401/https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/cp/CP2.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> although visiting graves is encouraged in Islam to remember death and the [[Last Judgment|Day of Judgment]].<ref name="brandeis"/><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://sunnah.com/muslim/11 | title=The Book of Prayer – Funerals – Sahih Muslim |publisher= Sunnah.com – Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) | access-date=6 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t243/e315?_hi=4&_pos=7|title=Shrine - Oxford Islamic Studies Online|website=www.oxfordislamicstudies.com|language=en|access-date=2018-08-10|quote=Many modern Islamic reformers criticize visits to shrines as mere superstition and a deviation from true Islam.}}</ref><br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
{{commons category|Dargahs}}<br />
* [[Datuk Keramat]]<br />
* [[Khanqah]]<br />
* [[Maqam (shrine)|Maqam]]<br />
* [[Maqbara]]<br />
* [[Marabout]]<br />
* [[Mazar (mausoleum)|Mazar]]<br />
* [[Ziyarat]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
{{Islamic architecture}}<br />
{{Sufism terminology}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Dargahs| ]]<br />
[[Category:Islamic architecture]]<br />
[[Category:Islam in Pakistan]]<br />
[[Category:Islam in India]]<br />
[[Category:Islam in Bangladesh]]<br />
[[Category:Islam in Turkey]]<br />
[[Category:Persian words and phrases]]</div>>Jwalker47