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In the
present advanced age several questions are being
raised in relation to those offerings which are
made at the shrines of Muslim saints,
particularly at the Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja
Gharib Nawaz (R.A.)at ajmer.
It is all due to the lack of proper religious
knowledge, lack of well established customs
precedents and traditions and lack of settled
Islamic and judicial pronouncements on this
point Nazar-O-Niaz which is a combination of two
words of Arabic language, in English it means
vows and oblations.
ACCORDING TO ISLAMIC LAW
Offering i.e. Nazar-O-Niaz is a deed through
which the nearness is attained,it is also a
source of earning the pleasure and blessings of
those who have attained the nearness of god ,not
only this , presentation of Nazar-O-Niaz is
considered as a source of achievement and
success in life.
According to CHISHTIA sect: Offerings which
people make at any Dargah, their intention and
aim is to obtain the blessing of that Saint at
whose Dargah the offerings are made and also the
blessings of that person who is the custodian of
that Dargah and in his capacity as Gaddi Nashin,
Moallim or Khadim is entitled to receive the
same. After understanding the literary meanings
of offerings let us see how the famous Muslim
Jurist and Ulama have theologically explained
the same. In his book Nazar Buzurgan-e-din
HAZRAT SHAH RAFIULLAH says:-
whatever is presented in cash or in kind at any
Dargah by the devotees is known as offerings.
This further means and implies that offerings
made at Dargah are not for any charitable
purpose but for the benefit of those attached to
Dargah. Another famous Jurist Imam Ghani Al-Nablisi
Al-Qudsi in his book Hadiqa-e-Nadiah has clearly
written: the main object of offerings made at
Dargah is to benefit or facilitate the Moallims.
In his another book Kashfun-Noorhe has further
clarified the object and purpose of Nazar as
under:
those who make offerings at the Dargah of a
saint, know well and fully understand that those
offerings are for personnel use and sustenance
of those who are attached with
Dargah,particularly the Moallims.
NATURE OF OFFERINGS
At any Dargah particularly at Ajmer the nature
and purpose of offerings apart from what has
been said earlier is, with some modification as
under:
1. Firstly a person makes a vow and when
his vow is fulfilled he makes the offerings.
2. The Second form of the offerings is that
the devotee has not made any vow, but when he
visits Dargah he out of devotion presents
certain money at the holy grave of the saint
with the intention that whatever he is
presenting he s presenting as an offering to
that with clear implication that the same will
be used by those who are entitled to receive it.
At Ajmer the devotees pay the offering to a
Moallim who may take as their well wisher or
spiritual preceptor.
3. The third form of offering is that it is
paid directly to the Moallim knowing well that
the same is for the benefit and personal use of
that Moallim.
4. The fourth form is that devotees pay a
particular amount of offering to the Moallim and
limit its expanses they clearly specify the
purpose i.e. either to distribute equally among
all the Moallims ,to feed the poor, to spend in
religious and spiritual functions , to present
flowers or chadar
(made of cotton or fine cloth) on the mazar
The soul purpose of the offering in all the
religious orders is nothing but to grace,
benefit and facilitate the moallim or the person
attached to Dargah.
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