Bibi Pak Daman — A place of solace for everyone
*Tuesday, January 15, 2008
By Ali Usman *
LAHORE: Of all the shrines and holy places across the city, there is a single place where differences among all sects simply vanish.
Famously known as Bibi Pak Daman, it holds the graves of six ladies from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)’s household (Ahl Al-Bayt). Hundreds of thousands of devotees throng the place throughout the holy month of Muharram. The shrine has a mesmerising effect on the visitors and any visitor passing by the Empress Road cannot cross the shrine without paying homage to the pious ladies.
A narrow lane that leads to the shrine has shops on both sides containing Muharram-related items. Replicas of Hazrat Ali (AS), Imam Hussain (AS), Imam Hassan (AS) and literature on the history of Karbala, Khak-e-Shifa (soil of Karbla) and CDs of nauhas (elegies) are available at the shops. A sense of mourning grips the person who steps into the bazaar.
**Devotees, mostly clad in black, perform several rituals at the shrine to make their wishes come true. A commonly observed service at the shrine is the distribution of ladoo with rings in them. Ladoo are kept at the shrine, and whoever wants to make a wish, carries one and wears the ring until his/her wish comes true. When a person’s wish comes true, he/she keeps more ladoo at the shrine for other devotees and the wish cycle never stops.
Farid, who owns a sweet shop at the bazaar, said his business had boomed with the arrival of Muharram. He said, “Mostly women believe in the ladoo myth. Many educated women from posh areas like the Defence Housing Authority, Gulberg and Cantt visit the shrine with a hope that their wishes will come true.” **
On the way to the shrine, a side lane, can be seen crowded with a large number of young boys with their mothers standing by them.
“My son is the beggar of Imam Hussain (AS), give him some money,” one hears them asking for alms while passing through the lane.
It’s an old myth - that yearning for a baby boy bears the promise of making their son Imam Hussain’s (AS)’s malang for a certain period. During the period that may vary from two years or more, the parents do not buy the boy any dresses.
Another tradition that is exclusively associated with the shrine is the Zuljinnah’s presence at the shrine during Muharram. People stand on both sides of the bazaar and let the Zuljinnah pass. Some offer nazrana (offerings) to the Zuljinnah as a gesture of honour.
**The shrine has a 1,000-year-old history, mujawir (caretakers of the shrine) believe. It holds six ladies from the Holy Prophet (pbuh)’s household, including Ruqqaya bint Ali (AS), with the remaining being Muslim Bin Aqeel (AS)’s sister and daughters. Muslim Bin Aqeel (AS) was the emissary of Imam Hussain (AS) to Kufa. Devotees believe Ruqqaya (AS), also called Bibi Haj, came to Lahore with some companions after the tragedy of Karbala.
Hindu Raja of that time summoned them to his court and the ladies prayed to God for death as they were observing pardah. The earth opened and the ladies were buried alive. Ever since devotees come here to pay them homage and mourn for these ladies with the other Kabrala martyrs in Muharram.**
Subhan’Allah & Wow. I didn’t know people from Prophet Muhammed’s (peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him) family were burried in Pakistan.
This makes Pakistan a holy land too like the City of the Prophet, Madinah.