Ajmer Mannat

 MANNAT
BY SYED HAIDER NAWAZ CHISHTY (SHAH SAHEB)
INTRODUCTION
Ajmer Sharif Dargah Mannat of Khwaja ji Garib Nawaz Ajmer Sharif Mannat wish Rajasthan, India
The main gate to the shrine is the Nizam Gate, following which is Shahjahani Gate which was erected by Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. It is followed by Buland Darwaza, upon which the Urs flag is hoisted,marking the beginning of the festival.
The shrine had become one of the most important centers for the diffusion of composite culture that had struck deep roots in the psyche of both the Hindus and Muslim. Thus the result of the long association of the Hindus with the shrine can be assessed from the customs at the Dargah by the Muslims and Hindus alike. For example putting Lachcha (red and yellow threads) around the neck or hand of the devotees, pasting of sandal at mazar and tying of threads at shrine as a mark of vows (mannat), cracking of coconuts at the door steps of Dargah, and the lighting ceremony at dust etc are symbolic of the emerging of composite culture.
NAZAR NIAZ

In the present advanced age several questions are being raised in relation to those offerings which are made at the shrines of Muslim saints, particularly at the Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz (R.A.) at ajmer.
It is all due to the lack of proper religious knowledge, lack of well established customs precedents and traditions and lack of settled Islamic and judicial pronouncements on this point Nazar-O-Niaz which is a combination of two words of Arabic language, in English it means vows and oblations. The Hadeeth literature indicates that the Ahlul Bayt (A.S) showed the importance of Nazr by their acts more than once. The following story is recorded in many tafseer books about the revelation of these verses of sura Dahr.
Once the Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain, who were at that time 5 and 4 years old, fell ill. When the Prophet of Islam, missed them in the mosque, he came to Hazrat Fatima Zahra's house to inquire about them. When he was told that they were sick, he suggested that both parents should take a spiritual vow (Nazr) for the children's recovery. So both Imam Ali and Fatima Zahra prayed to Allah for the recovery of Hasan and Husayn (peace be unto them all) and took a vow to fast for three consecutive days when the children became well again. The children did recover from the illness soon after. Both parents set about fulfilling their spiritual vow and fasted. When the children saw that, they also decided to fast with their parents and so did the house-maid, Fiddha.
But that day there was no food in Fatima's house even for breaking the fast. So Imam Ali went out looking for work. He could not find any. But he was able to get three kg's of wool to be spun in exchange of three kg's of barley. Fatima Zahra spun the wool all day. She was only able to dispense with one kilo of it. So she took only one kilo of barley ground it into flour and prepared five loaves of bread. While they were all ready to break their fast, someone knocked at the door saying: "O people of the house of the Prophet, I am a poor man and I have nothing to eat, is there anything you could do to feed me." At this Imam Ali stood up, went to the door and gave his loaf to the man. Fatima Zahra did the same. Watching this, both children also gave their loaves and so did the maid. They broke their fast by water and retired.
The next day Fatima Zahra spun another kilo of wool. So she separated one kilo of barley, ground it into flour and prepared five loaves once again. As they were ready to break their fast, once again, a voice called out from the door: "O people of the house of The Prophet, I am an orphan, I am hungry, could you feed me?" Hearing this, Imam Ali stood up and gave his loaf to the man, so did Fatima Zahra, the children and the maid.
They all, once again, broke their fast by water and retired. Came the third day, Fatima Zahra spun the rest of the wool, took the remaining barley, ground it into flour and prepared five loaves. As they were ready to break the fast, a voice called from the door saying: "O people of the house of the Prophet, I am a prisoner, I am hungry, could you feed me?" Hearing this, once again, Imam Ali stood up and went to the door and gave his loaf away to the prisoner. Fatima Zahra, the children and the maid did likewise. Every time the person at the door would want to express his gratitude for the kindness, Imam Ali would say: "No, no, we are not looking for any reward from you for this act, we are doing it out of Allah's love."
Firstly a Devotee makes a vow and when his vow (Mannat) is fulfilled he makes the offerings Nazr-O-Niyaz.
The offerings is this that the devotee has not made any vow, but when he visits at Dargah for Ziarat (Pilgrimage) he out of devotion presents certain money at the Holy Dargah of the Khwaja Sahib with the intention that whatever he is presenting, he is presenting as an offering to that Saint with clear implication that the same will be used by those who are entitled to receive it. At Ajmer the devotees pay offerings to a Khadim whom they take as their well wisher ( vaqil) or spiritual preceptor (Moallim).
Devotees of Khwaja Sahib can makes a vow (Mannat) that he will perform the Ziarat (Pilgrimage) of Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty Ajmeri . If a person makes a vow Mannat that he would send some amount of money on the Dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishty Ajmer, or the descendants of the Khwaja Sahib, without having any particular project in mind, he should spend it on the repairs, lighting, Langer, Chader, Flowers, well-fair of Dargah etc. of the shrine.



HOW TO OFFER A NAZAR NIAZ
At any Dargah particularly at Ajmer .The nature and purpose of offerings apart from what has been said earlier is, with some modification as under:

(1) Firstly a person makes a vow and when his vow is fulfilled he makes the offerings.

(2) The Second form of the offerings is that the devotee has not made any vow, but when he visits Dargah he out of devotion presents certain money at the holy grave of the saint with the intention that whatever he is presenting as an offering to that with clear implication that the same will be used by those who are entitled to receive it. At Ajmer the devotees pay the offering to a KHADIM who may take as their well wisher or spiritual preceptor.

(3) The third form of offering is that it is paid directly to the KHADIM knowing well that the same is for the benefit and personal use of that KHADIM.

(4) The fourth form is that devotees pay a particular amount of offering to the KHADIM and limit its expanses they clearly specify the purpose i.e. either to distribute equally among all the KHADIM,to feed the poor, to spend in religious and spiritual functions, to present flowers or chadar (made of cotton or fine cloth) on the mazar.

The soul purpose of the offering in all the religious orders is nothing but to grace, benefit and facilitate the KHADIM or the person attached to Dargah.Ajmer
 

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