There is
a well known Islamic belief that messengers of God were sent
to each and every nation. We sent a messenger to
every community, saying, Worship God and shun false gods.
Among them were some God guided; misguidance took hold of others,
reads the thirty sixth verse of the sixteenth chapter of the
Holy Quran. In the light of such a clear verse
it wouldnt be far fetched to say that the Indian sub-continent
too had its fair share of Gods messengers. There is evidence
to indicate that prophets have walked throughout its length
and breadth. Hence, we find graves which are reportedly the
final resting places of prophets, known and unknown, from Ayodhya
in the north to Rameswaram in south. One such place not commonly
known is located right in the heart of Punjab .
Baras or Brass is a small village of two thousand in Fatehgarh
Saheb district. It is situated at a distance of seventeen
kilometers from the famous town of Sirhind . On the edge of
the village is a large hillock which appears to have been witness
to several human settlements down the ages. At an elevation
of about fifty feet at its centre are thirteen graves, each
one at least nine to twelve feet in length, which reportedly
belong to prophets.
This
claim would have been rejected but for its confirmation by many
stalwarts of Islamic orthodoxy like Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi and
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi.
Rauzatul
Qayyumiah, the biography of sixteenth century revivalist
Shaikh Ahmed Sirhindi, states that the Shaikh once prayed here
and after a long meditation session informed his disciples that
through spiritual illumination he has determined the place to
be the final resting place of prophets. He reportedly even said
that he even met and spoke with them. Similarly, in one of his
famous collection of letters he writes to his son confirming
Baras being the final resting place of prophets and that he
has seen waves of light emanating from it and reaching the skies
According
to the book Gulshan-e-Auliya-e-Kiraam, authored
by Dr.Abdul Reman Ahsanpuri , Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi also
confirmed the above assertions. He reportedly confided to his
disciple Haji Muhammad Hussain Bassinawasi that after meditating
at this place he was able to meet the souls of the prophets
who are thirteen in number. There was reportedly a father and
son pair among them whose names were Ibrahim and Hazar respectively.
However, there are conflicting reports about the actual number
of graves belonging to the prophets. Dr.Ahsanpuri asserts that
the correct number is three.
Leading
Islamic luminaries who have visited the site include Maulana
Iftekharul Hasan Kandhalvi, Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Hasan Kandhalvi
and Maulana Shaikh Zakaria. A more recent famous visitor to
the place was Maulana Isa Mansoori, chairman of UK based World
Islamic Forum.
Until
1947 the gravesite was well maintained by the local Muslims.
But after the massacre and migration of Muslims it fell
into neglect. The refugees from Pakistan , who were allotted
lands in the area, at first used the place for cattle grazing
but soon began revering thinking it to be the gravesite of Pirs.
Despite the reverence huge mounds of waste and cow dung accumulated
around the hillock making it inaccessible.
It was not until 1994 that the prophetic gravesite was renovated
through the efforts of Dr.Haji Nizamuddin Kothalvi, an orthopedic
surgeon from Maler Kotla. Through the approval of the village
panchayat he acquired land surrounding the graves and built
a secure boundary wall and accessible pathway. While paving
the stairs a well was discovered. At first it was decided that
it be utilized for its water but the plan was abandoned after
elderly local residents narrated tragic events of 1947. Several
Muslim women had reportedly jumped in the well to save their
honor after their men were massacred. A beautiful water foundation
now stands at its site. At the summit of the hillock a Masjid
was constructed where five times daily prayers are held. A Madrasa
with qualified teachers also functions from the mosque.
An unusual peacefulness and calm pervades throughout Baras.
Contemplating here tells you the silent story of fortunes and
losses of long forgotten communities and the men who came to
guide them. For the discerning observer it delivers another
lesson: that Islam is not a foreign religion in India . Despite
the claims of the fanatics Islam is as Indian a religion as
any other.
Email
sent by : Sarfaraz Mohammed Kazi
<sarfarazmohammedkazi@gmail.com>
Place:
Sirhind
Town:
Brass. or Baras
How to
reach : Get local buses to Brass from Sirhind. Around 45
min to 1 hour is the drive. Last bus is in the evening till
brass at 4pm. There wont be buses from Brass to sirhind after
5pm. So better go for Ziyaarat in the morning or else you would
be stuck in Brass. And there isn't accommodation in brass as
well as no restaurants to have a meal.
There are around 12 mazaars of Ambiya's. And Two Mazar's of
Nabi's. This is what people told me that they are Nabi's. They
don't know their names. So Allah knows the best.
For
Images Click here..
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Information
sent by : mirza.aadil@gmail.com
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