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Friday following Shab-e-Meraj observed with religious fervour

Braving cold, thousands of devotees, including the elderly, men and women, and children thronged the shrine throughout the day
11:21 PM Jan 31, 2025 IST | Auqib Salam
friday following shab e meraj observed with religious fervour
Habib Naqash/GK
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Srinagar, Jan 31: Thousands of devotees thronged Hazratbal shrine on the occasion of Friday following Shab-e-Meraj to offer prayers and glimpse of holy relic.

Braving cold, thousands of devotees, including the elderly, men and women, and children thronged the shrine throughout the day.

To mention, Shab-e-Meraj is celebrated on 27th of Shaban as per the Islamic calendar to mark the holy night when the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) ascended to the highest levels of heaven. The Friday that follows is celebrated as Friday following Shab-i-Meraj

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Religious places, including masjids and shrines across Srinagar and other districts, reverberated with Darood Khwani and special Friday sermons on the day. The largest gathering was held at Dargah Hazratbal where thousands of people has a glimpse of holy relic. Emotional scenes were witnessed as people had the glimpse of holy relic amid prayers. People had traveled from across various districts of Kashmir to participate in the event.

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"Every year we yearn for this day to see the holy relic… it brings me immense joy that yet another year I was able to witness this event. I have been coming to this shrine for decades. My devotion for the place has increased," Muhammad Sultan, an aged devotee at Hazratbal said. The markets across the Hazratbal Shrine and other major masjids were full of hustle and bustle on Friday. The vending zones and shops had come to life as devotees thronged the area and indulged in shopping for various goods.

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The officials said that they had made special arrangements for the day to ensure that no devotee faces inconvenience. They said various departments, including SMC, PDD, SRTC and Traffic Police had made special arrangements for devotees.

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SSP Traffic Srinagar City Muzaffar Ahmad Shah said that since the day of Shab-e-Meraj, they had put special arrangements in place to ensure hassle-free movement of traffic.

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"All the men and machinery had been put in place to ensure smooth movement of traffic. Like every year a detailed traffic plan was put in place in this regard. Special parking zones, and diversion were put in place to streamline the traffic rush on Friday," Shah said.

In addition to traffic police, men from SDRF were deployed at Dargah Hazratbal to provide services to devotees in case of an emergency or any other event.

Meanwhile a large gathering of people was also seen on Friday prayers at Jenab Sahab Soura, Asar-e-Sharif Shahri Kalashpora, Lal Bazar, Khanqah-e-Maula, Ziarat Hazrat Dastgeer Sahab (RA), Syed Yaqoob Sahab (RA) Sonwar, Khawaja Naqshband Sahab (RA) and Ziarat Makhdoom Sahib (RA). Special prayers were also held at Masjids and shrines in Anantnag, mainly at Jamia Masjid Reshi Sahab, Khiram Sirhama, Kaba Marg, Dooru and Seer Hamdan.