KD NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, April 21:
Amid a large gathering of devotees from both Shia and Sunni communities, Chairman of Kashmir Society International, Khwaja Farooq Renzushah, paid glowing tributes to the revered religious scholar Syed Mohammad Baqir Al-Najafi at his ancestral residence in Budgam. The occasion marked a reaffirmation of Kashmir’s deeply rooted legacy of Shia-Sunni unity, which Renzushah described as the “hallmark of Kashmiri civilization for the last seven centuries.”
Addressing the gathering, Renzushah emphasized the profound importance of communal and sectarian harmony in the Valley. He described Syed Baqir Al-Najafi as a symbol of Kashmir’s spiritual brotherhood and intellectual heritage. “His life and teachings reflected the mutual love and respect that has long defined our civilizational ethos,” Renzushah remarked.
Highlighting the spiritual legacy of Kashmir, he invoked the contributions of great saints like Hazrat Abdul Rahman Bulbulshah (RA), Hazrat Amir-e-Kabir Mir Syed Ali Hamadani (RA), Hazrat Hamza Makhdoom (RA), Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani (RA), and Mir Shams-ud-Din Iraqi (RA). These spiritual luminaries, Renzushah noted, laid the foundation of a spiritually inclusive and culturally rich society that embraced all faiths and sects.
Renzushah made a passionate appeal to protect the historic Mimber-e-Rasool (SAW) at Eidgah, a sacred structure from where several of these saints once led joint congregational prayers. “No attempt to undermine or demolish the centuries-old Mimber will be tolerated. It stands as a sacred symbol of our united past and must continue to shine with divine grace till Qayamat (the Day of Judgment),” he asserted.
The Mimber, he said, was deliberately established at Eidgah by Hazrat Shah Hamadani (RA), who had brought with him not just Islam but the spirit of spiritual enlightenment to Kashmir. The Hazrat Ali (AS) Mosque nearby—funded by the jewels of Hamadan—served as the guiding marker for the location of the Mimber. “The mosque was named after Hazrat Ali (AS), Shah-e-Wilayat, who is universally revered as the gateway of knowledge, wisdom, and spirituality,” Renzushah explained.
Calling for unity across sects, Renzushah stressed that the various Islamic schools of thought—be it Fiqh Hanafi, Jafari, Shafi’i, Maliki, or Hanbali—convey the same divine message of love, harmony, and coexistence. Recalling his tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Budgam, he mentioned his frequent visits to Syed Mohammad Baqir Al-Najafi Sahib for spiritual and intellectual enrichment. “His insights gave me a deeper understanding of our complex yet beautifully interwoven spiritual history,” he said.
The ceremony witnessed the presence of several prominent personalities including Rouhullah Mehdi (MP Srinagar), Aga Syed Hassan Al-Moosavi, Aga Syed Hussain, Salman Sagar, sons of former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Saleem Geelani (President Saadat-e-Geelani), Abid Ansari, Sheikh Imran, Mirwaiz-e-North Kreri, Syed Sharif-ul-Haq Bukhari, Vikas Bukhari, Akbar Hyderi, and Aijaz Khan (President, Food Supplies Employees Union) among others. Thousands of family members of the Al-Moosavi and Al-Najafi clans, along with a large number of Ulema and spiritual scholars, also participated in the spiritual congregation.
Renzushah expressed heartfelt gratitude to all Ulema and spiritual leaders—cutting across sects—who have lent their support for the preservation of the Mimber Sharief of Shah Hamadani at Eidgah. He specially thanked Salman Sagar, Mubarak Gul, Saleem Geelani, Mirwaiz Sharif-ud-Din Bukhari, Mufti Adil Noorani, Qari Shafi Makhdoomi, Khalid Geelani (Sajada Nisheen of Dastgeer Sahib), Mohammad Sultan Makhdoomi (Sajada Nisheen), Basharat Sahib of Syed Hamidpora Shrine, and various representatives from spiritual, religious, and welfare organizations including Shahar-e-Khaas JK Welfare Society, Sufi Cultural Forum, and Mushtaq Ahmad Shams Faqeer Organization.
He concluded by appealing for continued collective efforts to safeguard Kashmir’s spiritual heritage, emphasizing that such sacred symbols of unity must be protected as an obligation towards future generations.
