Self styled guardians of Dargahs

(This is translation of article published in Muslim Murasu November,2010)
People in the love of God belong to the entire humanity. They are people who desired goodness in their life times. They don’t know the limits of Muhalla. Having born thousands of miles away in a distant nation, they have found their way into the hearts of people speaking different language. Without uprooting affinity for language, caste, race, religion, nation and Muhalla, many in Tamilnadu drum up their claims as saints’s direct descendants, Hakdaar, caretakers and shareholders. Dargah where Auliyah rests, Wakf property, land ownership, commercial rentals are many crore rupees worth. Soaring poor population and on the other side chandelier decorations and festive celebrations; odd scenes juxtaposed in sacred lands is discomforting. Dargahs in Tamilnadu, Aulia, missionary works, proof for descendant, value of properties, these details are not available in Internet. It is necessary to pray God to bless today’s community with the guided path that was bestowed on those before us. This is the warning message one gets from the last verses of Fathiha Surah in Quran. Descendants of spiritual people have abandoned missionary work and have embarked on journeys to Hongkong, Malaysia, Singapore, America and Arab countries in search of money and excessive luxuries.

Auliyas buried in Dargahs exercised influence over the rulers in their life times; they controlled them; rulers went on their knees; they abandoned evil, unjustified and demonic practices and they earned redemption. They paid attention and interest in social welfare activities and earned huge respect from people. But today, descendants of Auliyas and Dargahs don’t possess any high qualities. The information of Wakf property is also kept in the dark. Islam hails all those who follow the principle as descendants. The terms to inherit Dargah needs to be probed. Dargahs are centres for harmony and spirituality. Annual revenues from Dargah, social schemes where that money is spent, addresses of beneficiaries, capacity and qualities of management should be available in book form. What is available on internet are anecdotes, dates for Sandhana Koodu, flag hoisting, memorial day and anonymous hearsay stories of Karaamath. In the past centuries, Dargah, Aulia missionary work has played a huge role in the Hindu Muslim unity. On the same line, today’s owners of Dargahs and descendants should offer assistance for Islamic missionary works, propagating Kalima, religious conversion schemes and dominance of Thowheed. There is no reason to hide that Dargah has got more than enough funds and copious money for this.