Ghusal ceremony of Data’s shrine held

Special prayers offered for Pakistan and the Muslims of IIOJK and Palestine

LAHORE:

The annual ceremony of Ghusal of the shrine of Ali bin Usman al-Hajveri, popularly known as Data Sahib, was carried out on Monday.

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, provincial ministers and other senior officials and devotees took part in the annual ritual of washing the tomb with rose water.

Special prayers were offered on the occasion for peace, prosperity and development of the country. Prayers were also offered for freedom of Muslims of India occupied Kashmir and Palestine.

Citizens and devotees from different walks of life have already throng at the shrine to participate in the annual Urs festivities of Data Sahib.

All arrangements have been finalised and strict security measures have been put in place to avoid any untoward incident during the festivities.

Food and water were distributed among devotees while devotees performed ritual dance (dhammal) and musicians play music during the three-day long rituals.

Data Ganj Bakhsh was born in Ghazni in Afghanistan, during the rule of Ghaznavi dynasty. Later, he came and settled in Lahore. He contributed significantly to the spread of Sufi teachings of Islam in South Asia through his teaching and preaching.

Some historians have described him as one of the most important figures to have spread Islam in the Indian subcontinent.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2022.