A RANDOM DAY AT SHRINE

Located at the foot of Margalla Hills, a few miles away from the Prime Minister House, the shrine of SHAH ABDUL LATIF KAZMI ( Bari Imam) is the center of hope for the disappointed, ill, heartbroken and needy people of the subcontinent for centuries.

It’s been more than 300 years when (Bari Imam) came to this place- barren land in those days - from District Jhelum.

 After helping his father in grazing animals, at the age of 12, he left for Ghaur Ghashti (now Attock) to learn fiqh, hadith, logic, mathematics, medicine and philosophy. The Saint is believed to meditate there in a cave for about twelve years visited only by the wild beasts and demons. A rock in that cave resembling a snake is also believed to be the miracle turned into stone by the holy man for being the devil’s advocate to break his meditation.

One can observe several categories of devotees here. Most of the visitors come here for mental healing and relaxation with the hope of getting solutions for their problems.

Bending and kissing the cloth covered grave, his mausoleum receives a steady stream of worshipers every day. A huge range of methods and resources are available for the visitors to heal themselves. The ash burnt flowers brought by the visitors is believed to be a cure for many diseases including cancer. The followers also eat and take with them the salt of the shrine for its sacred qualities like ointment against snake venom and skin diseases. The lamp oil is used for hair treatment and it is also the remedy for different body pains like sciatica, backache, headache, and joint pains.

 Free meals, commonly called 'Langer' of the shrine are sacred for visitors. It cleans the body and purifies the souls. They believe eating 'Langer' increases food for their families. Many ill and psychologically disturbed people come here for solace and comfort. They hope this saint will solve their problem.

The followers of the saint and their children pay homage to the saint by reciting ‘Naats’ to please the master and receive his blessings.

ALLAH RAKHA a Malang now is retired army man. He comes every year bare feet along his sister ZAKYA BIBI to greet Bari Imam as a token of thanks giving for his blessings to earn steady business from the utter of his poverty.  “We have tire shops, hotels and so many other businesses in Lahore today and I believe it’s all due to the blessing of this saint.”  He further explains his belief by saying, “After losing my whole gratuity amount in a fail business, I one day saw a saint in my dreams asking me to go to the Bari Imam at this burial place and pray for help. I did so and find my business rehabilitated miracle.”    

 The young MAZHAR ALI SHAH defines himself a special devotee – Darvaish-of Bari Imam. He wants to reach the same heights as his master by following his deeds. He claims to have spiritual communication with the saint. He says, “I use to mediate special prayers and get guidance of how to lead a purified life. Without the connection it’s impossible to resolve the mystics of spiritualism.”

Meanwhile, devotees like SALMAN from Gujrat, now usually offer their prayers from a distance and leave due to the reconstruction work of tomb. “I come here just to pay my regards. The construction of grand buildings cannot break our bond, they do not define how strong my belief is,” he says with conviction.

There may be multiple reasons in bringing a person to a shrine but no one can deny the importance of shrines in providing the emotional stability to the hapless people at large.