Dargah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dargah (Persian: درگه) is an Islamic shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims perform pilgrimages (ziyarat) to the shrines. Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah. They often include a mosque, meeting rooms, schools (Madrassas), residences for a teacher or caretaker, hospitals, and other buildings for community purposes.
The term is derived from a Persian word meaning a 'portal' or a 'threshold'. Many Muslims believe that the dargah are portals by which they can invoke the deceased saint's intercession and blessing (see Tawassul).
Shrines are found in many Muslim-majority countries, and called by many names (see Ziyarat). The term dargah is common in the Persian-influenced Islamic world, notably Iran and South Asia.
In the Indian subcontinent, dargahs are often the site of festivals (Milad) held in honor of the deceased saint at the date of his Urs, which is a day dedicated to the saint which is usually but not exclusively the saint's death anniversary. The shrine is illuminated with candles or strings of electric lights. There may be parades and processions, performances of religious music, and fairs with food stalls and fun rides.
Celebrations at these sites often disregard Islamic laws prohibiting idolatry and have been met with opposition from scholars of various Islamic schools of thought. Those of classical schools condemn the excesses but consider the honouring of the saint as permissible. Others (especially those of Salafi or Wahhabi views), see the honouring of the saint itself as impermissible and tantamount to Polytheism. For a list of dargahs, see Ziyarat.
