How was once the Urs of Unhealthy Imam celebrated 100 years in the past?

The 3-day annual Urs of the Sufi saint Shah Abdul-Taif referred to as Badi Imam, who’s buried a couple of hundred yards clear of the President’s Space and the High Minister’s Space, has began from August 15.

There’s a custom in Potohar that ‘a town will likely be constructed right here which will likely be selected on this planet however then at some point it is going to be destroyed via a perilous earthquake.’

It’s not identified how a lot fact there may be on this custom as a result of in the ones instances the numbers have been much less and the narrators have been extra.

To start with, their annual Urs celebrations have been five-day lengthy, ranging from Sunday within the first decade of the Punjabi month of Vesakh and finishing on Thursday.

Thus, this Urs got here once a year within the final decade of April. As quickly because the wheat harvest was once over in Punjab, gala’s began, so accordingly the Urs of Badi Imam was once additionally celebrated in Vesakh.

In 2005, there was once a suicide assault at the shrine of Badi Imam, because of which this Urs was once now not celebrated for the following 17 years.

Alternatively, the present Deputy High Minister and Overseas Minister Ishaq Dar final yr modified this Urs to Pakistan’s Independence Day as an alternative of Vesakh and now it is going to be celebrated from August 15 to 17 once a year.

Who was once the evil imam?

Badi Imam was once born in Choli Karsal, a the city of Chakwal in 1617 and he died on the age of 91 within the the city of Chorpur in Islamabad, and then town was once referred to as Noorpur Shahan from Chorpur, as it was once referred to as It’s mentioned that the kings of the time used to talk over with the shrine of this Sufi saint.

Muhammad Haseeb Qadri’s ebook ‘Sirat-e-Bari Imam Sarkar’ has written about his existence stipulations. Badi Imam lines his lineage again to the Sufi saint Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, buried in Baghdad, and his ancestors migrated from Iraq to India and settled in Chakwal.

His identify was once Shah Abdul Taif. On the age of ten, at the side of his father Hazrat Syed Mehmood, he moved to Bagh Kalan, which is now referred to as Abpara.

He won his non secular schooling in Ghorghashti district of Attock, later he made tutorial journeys to Kashmir, Badakhshan, Mashhad, Bukhara, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, Egypt and Syria after which additionally had the blessing of Hajj.

On his go back from the adventure, he won non secular grace from a senior Hazrat Syed Jamalullah referred to as Bala Pir in Hajra Shah Moqim.

After they returned to Bagh-e-Klan, the oldsters were given married. There have been no kids for 8 years.

Then a daughter was once born who died in youth and and then his spouse Ms. additionally changed into pricey to Allah.

After the loss of life of his daughter and spouse, he changed into an entire deserter. He stood within the Nilan river on the foot of the Margalla mountains for an extended time period, which his narrator says was once twelve years.

Then he selected for himself a spot on the foot of the Margalla Mountains, Loi Dandi, and there he started to have interaction in worship and austerities. Islam unfold hastily within the surrounding spaces because of his preaching.

He used to make widespread journeys to the within reach spaces to evangelise the faith. Even lately, anywhere he stayed, the ones puts are named after the Unhealthy Imam’s seats, that are unfold throughout Kashmir and Hazara at the side of all the Potohar.

The name of Badi Imam was once given to him via his Pir Hazrat Bala Pir Qadri and mentioned that you’re the imam of this ‘bar’ i.e. a work of dry land who later changed into Badi Imam.

Consistent with custom, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb additionally gave the impression in his carrier and it was once he who gave him the excellent news of turning into a king.

He died in 1708 on the age of 91 and was once buried in Nurpur Shahan as in step with his will. Thus it’s been 316 years since your departure.

An impressive advanced has been built at his shrine with the particular consideration of Ishaq Dar.

The arriving of Dalis on Unhealthy Imam and the scenes of dance and tune:

Born in 1917 in Dhamiyal, Rawalpindi, India’s famend poet, fiction creator and novelist Kartar Singh Dagal additionally won India’s best civilian award, the Padma Bhashan, and was once a member of the Higher Space of India.

His autobiography, Whom To Inform My Story, whose Urdu translation is titled ‘Kis Peh Kholon Ganthri’ is to be had on Rekhta.

In it, he describes the location of the Urs of Unhealthy Imam. At Noorpur, about ten kos clear of Pindi, once a year there was once a competition of Unhealthy Imam which lasted for a number of days. On this competition, singers from all over the place the rustic come and fill their position.

If the singers got here, the target market would additionally come. Nurpur would were a sight to behold. Each and every courtyard can be filled with visitors. There have been clusters of colourful canopies within the open areas outside and inside the town.

‘Day and evening the songs of the singers, the jingle of the bells of the dancers would resound round.’

Kartar Singh Dagal writes that ‘After I went with my Muslim good friend to look the competition of Badi Imam for the primary time, the darkness of the night was once overlaying tents in all places. At the identical day, processions and Dalias have been coming from Rawalpindi.

‘It was once very crowded. Males danced with curlers on their ft whilst chanting the slogans of Unhealthy Imam, making a song Qawwals. When the procession reached the Dargah, the lighting fixtures on all sides of the tents began to flicker.

‘Distorted Pathans, pothohari Jats swaying in masti, drunken landlords, each and every guy had a stick in his hand. Each and every different guy had a pistol round his neck or a shotgun over his shoulder.

‘Other people used to get a divorce on the inns. Someplace the aroma of kebabs, someplace the scent of Biryani, someplace Faluda Qalfi, someplace Jalebis and Anderse. Paan stores step-by-step, cigarette and beedi stores step-by-step.

We had now not even finished the overall circle of the competition when the jingling of bells and the traces of songs began to be heard. Every base was once dominated via a selected watchman. However any individual may just come to hear the tune.

‘Val’ may just give, however whoever took the identify of the song-listener’s night was once the one that performed lots of the songs. Songs of his will have been sung. His will would were a dance. Spectators would certainly give ‘wills’, however nobody may just fit the grasp of Syria.’

Dance and tune

Consistent with Kartar Singh Dugal, ‘Prime-ranking Pathans used to return from Kabul and Kandahar on their horses, embellished with weapons. A number of horses in a staff. There have been many rifles as though a military had come. Headed nobles would come to Lahore and Peshawar using on boats with rubber tires and enormous motors like ships. Their wallet have been stuffed to the brim with notes. Then the Nawabs and Jagirdars of Lucknow and Benares would come. Surrounded via his fans, he does now not know when the day has risen and when the evening has fallen. The singers sang all evening. Sing all day. Neither they get drained nor the listeners lose. Each and every base was once crowded with spectators.

‘Other people would sacrifice themselves for each and every fee. As one tune ends, some other starts. If one danced away, the opposite dancer would attend. Producers alternate. There are lots of checkpoints. However the target market didn’t transfer. Silver rupees, gold seals and notes float like water.

Even then, becoming a member of the competition of Unhealthy Imam was once regarded as a perfect praise. The Rundis believed that their making a song and dancing gave upward thrust to another high quality. The recognition in their live shows will increase. Whoever gave the impression on the dargah of the evil Imam would go back wealthy.’

Daughters of dancing-singers, virgin dancers waited for the honest of the evil imam. For more than a few rituals, Raje Nawabs, giant feudal lords, Khans and Sheikhs would carry sacks filled with rupees after which they might inform the tale of this struggle throughout the year. He would flip black however would now not let his mustache hold down on such events.

Firing on the camp of the dancer Almas of Kasai Side road:

Almas got here from the butchers boulevard in Pindi, tall, tall, complete frame. She was once a Hindu lady from Patiala, her mom sang for the Maharaja.

Almas was once despatched out of the state via him in order that it too would now not be captured via the Maharaja. He additionally modified his identify for this reason. Additionally, the singers favored Muslim names higher, so the choice of consumers higher with such names. The target market thinks that Hindu women have no idea how you can sing.

Hindu women can sing extra bhajans. Striking her hand on her ear, when Almas would select up the lyrics of the tune, it might be as though she would take the listener’s center out of his chest.

She began making a song and dancing, making eye touch with the target market. However after each and every spherical, Madhush Khan would attend to Madhush Khan with alcohol. She would bow down and greet him and would lie in entrance of him. Each time Almas got here in entrance of him, each and every time he would take out 100 observe and bathe it on her head and put his leg between her shirt. Handiest Khan will have completed such an act with Almas and nobody else.

It will be nighttime when there was once no position for moles to sit down underneath the chuldaris at Almas’s camp. The entire other people have been like damaged in his celebration. Almas was once additionally being intoxicated via an ambition. Began dancing time and again. After dancing she was once getting drained and now not giving up after which a gaggle of 3 younger males jumped into the celebration with a drunken push.

The boy was once a Rajput feudal lord. Once they got here, they began raining hundred hundred notes on Almas. The lads have been younger and good-looking, their foreheads burning like flames.

Almas was once a bit of hesitant in the beginning, his night was once tied up with the Khan who had come from Kandahar, however then seeing the offended great thing about the brand new formative years and their extravagant cash, his thoughts started to wander. It wasn’t even part an hour for the reason that boys got here to the celebration and so they had laid hundreds of rupees on it after which Almas became round and began taking a look at them.

She would smile at them time and again. Each and every time they gave a veal, she would lean ahead and lead them to behave. As though she is forgetting Khan who’s leaning at the pillow in entrance of her. One cycle, some other cycle. When Almas didn’t move to his Khan for the 3rd time, he was once stuffed with anger. He began capturing the younger boys along with his pistol. There was once chaos in the entire competition. Police whistles have been heard from each side.

The honest would finish however the tales of the honest would live to tell the tale

Tales of Noorpur, outdated and new pals, tales of seeing each and every different for lots of days echoed in Pothohar. Any individual getting back from the honest would have misplaced the entirety. Empty wallet, lacking the guts from the chest, nobody’s faith or religion would stay.

Whoever participated within the honest would go back with more than a few tales after which those tales would learn with jokes. Any individual mentioned that so-and-so had winked at me. Some say that he pinched her hand when he was once handing her the ‘Vail’ cash.

Many of us used to get ecstatic whilst being attentive to the tune or looking at the dance. He would rise up and get started making a song himself. Intoxicated, mischievous males used to bathe gold hemels and gokharos at the heads of the singers and pile them at their ft. Many spectators would get started crying whilst being attentive to the tune.

As soon as a dancer, as she stepped into the corridor, sang:

A cutie lover

The place can I disguise my existence?

Hundreds of thousands of sinners

After that, there was once now not an eye fixed on this amassing that was once now not rainy. The singer Dancer Chum Chum herself was once crying tears. ‘Kathe manner Chhapasan Jandari Sinwali’. Other people would again and again sing or name unhealthy imam.

That is the view of Brimam’s shrine a century in the past. These days there’s no pluralistic society right here, Hindus, Sikhs have long past to the opposite facet of the border. Now there’s a competition at the Urs of Bri Maam, however there aren’t any dance and tune gatherings in it. Qawwali are after all.

Other people make noise. However there may be intolerance that one faith threatens some other. What Sophia taught about peace, love and co-existence has been forgotten. Handiest the mausoleum is left with a chador and there’s no chador on any individual’s head.

Notice: This text is according to the private opinion of the creator, with which Impartial Urdu does now not must agree.