Nazar-0-Niyaz
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.
ACCORDING TO ISLAMIC LAW
Offering i.e. Nazar-O-Niaz is a deed through which the nearness is attained,it is also a source of earning the pleasure and blessings of those who have attained the nearness of god ,not only this , presentation of Nazar-O-Niaz is considered as a source of achievement and success in life.
According to CHISHTIA sect: Offerings which people make at any Dargah, their intention and aim is to obtain the blessing of that Saint at whose Dargah the offerings are made and also the blessings of that person who is the custodian of that Dargah and in his capacity as Gaddi Nashin, Moallim or Khadim is entitled to receive the same. After understanding the literary meanings of offerings let us see how the famous Muslim Jurist and Ulama have theologically explained the same. In his book Nazar Buzurgan-e-din HAZRAT SHAH RAFIULLAH says:-
whatever is presented in cash or in kind at any Dargah by the devotees is known as offerings. This further means and implies that offerings made at Dargah are not for any charitable purpose but for the benefit of those attached to Dargah. Another famous Jurist Imam Ghani Al-Nablisi Al-Qudsi in his book Hadiqa-e-Nadiah has clearly written: the main object of offerings made at Dargah is to benefit or facilitate the Moallims.
In his another book Kashfun-Noorhe has further clarified the object and purpose of Nazar as under:
those who make offerings at the Dargah of a saint, know well and fully understand that those offerings are for personnel use and sustenance of those who are attached with Dargah,particularly the Moallims.
NATURE OF OFFERINGS
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 he s 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 Moallim who may take as their well wisher or spiritual preceptor.
3. The third form of offering is that it is paid directly to the Moallim knowing well that the same is for the benefit and personal use of that Moallim.
4. The fourth form is that
devotees pay a particular amount of offering to the Moallim and limit its expanses they clearly specify the purpose i.e. either to distribute equally among all the Moallims ,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 moallim or the person attached to Dargah.