Hazratbal witnesses largest congregation
Devotees spend night in prayers
Shrines, mosques reverberate with supplications
Srinagar, Mar 16: Shab-e-Qadr (Lailatul Qadr), one of the holiest nights in Islam, was observed with religious fervour across Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
According to details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), devotees spent the night in prayers, remembrance of Allah and recitation of the Holy Quran at masjids and shrines across the region.
The revered Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar witnessed the largest congregation of worshippers, as devotees from different parts of the Valley gathered there to observe the sacred night.
Shab-e-Qadr, also known as the “Night of Power,” falls during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan and holds immense spiritual significance for Muslims.
The Holy Quran describes the night as “better than a thousand months,” making worship and prayers on this night highly rewarding.
Besides Hazratbal, large congregations were held at Makhdoom Sahib shrine, Khanqah-e-Moula, Asar-e-Sharif Soura and other prominent religious places, where special night-long prayers and religious gatherings were held.
Religious scholars urged people to utilize the blessed night in prayers, repentance and charity, stressing that it is a night of forgiveness and divine mercy.
“This is the most blessed night of Ramadan. People spend the entire night in prayers, seeking forgiveness and blessings from Allah,” said a local cleric in Srinagar.
Devotees said the night holds deep spiritual value and offers an opportunity for reflection and supplication. “We pray for peace, prosperity and the well-being of our families and society,” said Mohammad Ashraf, a devotee at Hazratbal shrine,
Meanwhile, authorities had made elaborate arrangements to facilitate the devotees. Traffic police had issued advisories to regulate vehicular movement around Hazratbal and other major shrines, while additional public transport services were be arranged to ferry worshippers.
Officials said arrangements regarding lighting, water supply, sanitation and security were also been put in place to ensure the smooth observance of the sacred night.
Meanwhile, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Valley’s chief religious cleric took to X and shared: “On the most sacred night of ‘Laylatul Qadr’, when prayers and supplications resound in mosques seeking Allah’s mercy and forgiveness, the central Jama Masjid Srinagar of Kashmir has once again been closed upon worshippers, and I have been placed under house arrest.”
Notably, every year, Shab-e-Qadr draws an ocean of worshippers to mosques and shrines across Jammu and Kashmir, with devotees spending the entire night engaged in supplications, recitation of the Quran and voluntary prayers in the hope of attaining Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. (KNO)
