The terrible bomb-blasts in Ajmer has shaken all of us very deeply. I still couldn’t believe what I saw, heard and witnessed on that fateful Thursday evening as I sat in our balcony facing the Dargah Sharif to break my day-long fast with other members of my family. Our house ‘Chishty Manzil’ is just opposite the blessed Dargah and from our balcony you get a very clear view of the “Ahata e Noor” where this terrible act of violence took place.I was sitting quietly over the “Dastar Khwan” as the clock was ticking slowly for the time of breaking the fast i.e. 06:14 pm and as ticked I said a two line prayers of breaking the fast and kept a piece of date in my mouth and the next moment I heard a loud bang which sounded like an explosion and it was powerful enough to make me feel the vibrations. I stood up and couldn’t and still can’t believe what I saw…..there was a huge cloud of smoke over the “Ahata e Noor” and people were screaming, running and shouting, nobody understood what had happened out there in the middle of the blessed shrine. I immediately ran towards the Dargah and was shocked, terrified and helplessly broken to see what had happened in the blessed “Abode of Peaceâ€?.
There was confusion and commotion everywhere as people shouted for help and assistance, everybody was shouting “bomb explosion, stay away” and to evacuate the “Ahata e Noor”. I saw pool of blood, masses of flesh and blood soaked bodies, nothing seems to be real and as if I was in a state of terrible trance.
For me, the blessed Dargah of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz is the safest place on earth because it is here that I had been born and brought up, grew up, and as kids we have played and ran across the blessed compound of the Dargah Sharif and the feeling to witness such a terrible thing at the very same peaceful place is something I am afraid I could ever put in words.
Nobody was prepared for such a terrible situation, nobody knew how to react to such gross act of violence which has never been seen or heard in the past 800 years peaceful history of Ajmer Sharif. Somehow I gathered some strength and was able to join in with some of my Khadim brothers and other young men who were helping, carrying and rushing the injured to the Hospital. One thing I would really like to appreciate about our Khadim brothers and young men that despite of very strong possibilities of a second bomb explosion, nobody deterred away from giving a helping and a life saving hand to the injured. I think that was very courageous of the simple people of Ajmer Sharif – a small and peaceful town, which could have never ever imagined to be in the middle of such an act of terror and violence .
There was confusion and commotion even in the hospital as even they were not prepared for such a situation as well but the experienced doctors and young medical students were very quick to understand and react to the whole situation. I also appreciate the efforts of young Dr. Ruqquia Syed who also happen to be my first cousin and doing her first year of internship in the same hospital who came in as an volunteer to help the victims of this bomb blast.
We ran across the multi floor hospital’s blood bank to get the required blood for the critical blast victims, we took some of the injured on stretchers for the X-ray’s, C.T. scans. In all there were 2 people who were brought dead and 17 injured, thanks to the quick treatment and positive attitude of the doctors that there were no casualties among the injured after reaching the hospital.
All this was done in a state of shock, terror and grief. In fact, it is only today that I am writing to and expressing what I saw and felt in words. Last night I tried to log-on to my laptop to open my mailbox which was flooded with emails from family and friends across the planet concerning the Ajmer Sharif blast, our safety, security and situation in Ajmer Sharif . I trembled as my fingers wouldn’t move to type anything and any account of what I saw, felt and experienced.
Today, the biggest irony for me is to write what I am writing to you when a festival of Hugs, Peace, Joy, Celebrations, Sweets, Blessings from elders – the beautiful day of Eid ul Fitr is just a few hours away!
Tonight, while sitting in my study and typing out this mail I am having a very strange feeling as I have never experienced such a crude silent night before the blessed Eid day, ever in my life. I can see the blessed Dargah Sharif and the lanes surrounding it from my study room and they never looked so strangely silent. The night before Eid had always been lively as people are busy with last minute shopping, men and boys waiting in lines outside the barber shops to get the right look for the Eid day and everybody is in a cheerful and festive mood. Unfortunately, tonight nothing of that is happening anywhere around the lanes of Dargah Sharif as we all decided to observe Eid in a very simple manner by just offering our Eid prayers in the morning in a very modest manner.
I just came home from the Hospital, where I had gone with my friend Khalid to visit the injured. On the way we bought new Kurtas and Topi’s (Prayer Caps) for the victims as some of them can go for their Eid prayers in the morning, Alhamdulilah. They were happy to see me as we have become a sort of friends over past two days, a couple of them call me by my name but rest who can’t recall my name simply call Khadim saahab. We gave each a Kurta and a Topi, the smile on there face was priceless. I think it is that priceless smile that has given me the strength, courage and ability to write what I am writing tonight.
I greeted them Eid Mubarrak, and wished them a quick recovery. I shall be going again to meet them in the morning after Eid prayers as I want to share the moments of happiness, peace, joys and smiles…..which had been lost in past two days of violence, shock and terror.
Alhamdullilah, by the karam of great Awliya Khawaja Gharib Nawaz – the unholy and shameless efforts and desires of the foes of humanity to disharmonize and disintegrate the people of India has avail them nought .There hasn’t been a single incident of backlash or communal tensions in any part of our blessed India which proves now and again that “My Khawaja’s India is Great “. Let us all put in our own small or big efforts to spread the blessed message of love, peace, beauty and tolerance as brought and taught by in Khawaja Gharib Nawaz’s own words – “Love towards all, malice towards none”.
Thank you for your patience in reading a long heartfelt message of this humble servant (Khadim) of Sultan ul Hind Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty (RA).
Love, Peace and Blessings
Syed Salman Chishty
Thanks Salman for sharing your pain and agony with us. May Khawaja Gharib Nawaz give courage and patience to the relatives of the victims. I am sure perpetrators of this dastardly act will be caught and punished in this life and will have to repent their heinous crime for innumerable future lives.
Salman it must have definitely been a shock .As an Indian who cherishes the cosmpolitan nature of India and dreams of a powerful country each of these bomb blasts is reminding me that the road to prosperity is also full of dangers.
The terrorists have shown that they can virtually hit any part of the country forming a pattern of some sort. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Ajmer, Ludhiana. The terrorists also know the weakness, suspicion and stories of Indians about each other.
I saw Javed Akhtar ji after the Ajmer blasts asking intelligence agencies to nab hindu fundamentalists. When I go to some other websites I see venom being spit for muslims after each blast.
No, this is not conventional warfare where the enemy is open. It is a more subvert tactic and the need of the hour is to think like a young Indian and not conventionaly from the age of my parents who have always lived in stories. They have done a fare bit in making sure that we see every thing with suspicion, with their stories.It is very important for people like you, me and everyone who is even least bit caring for this nation is to first of all work towards finishing suspicion about each other.
These terrorists say that their acts are inspired from Islam which is to get the support of all muslims as they want to show that they are fighting a holy war. The Muslims who have not joined this party are seen as kafirs as well. And they also need to be punished and reminded about the Islam being followed by these terrorists. Sufism, which is also seen as a moderate form of Islam respected by other religions as well is also their target. While some contemporary Islamic intellectual may only argue that it is about shirk the terrorists feel that this is completely wrong. Indian Islam has always been seen as peaceful, tolerant and people worldwide are infact looking and working about Indian Muslims in this context. That is why now this segment is also under target.
We have to turn each opportunity in our favour. India as i always say is at cross roads now. Either we burn all our age old stories behind and join to develop a young unique India or come out on streets and break each others heads. Choice is ours and allthough many of us will not be here after say 50 year but history will live to tell the true story of what happened.
Regards,
Manoj George
Hitting on this place is like hitting us as a nation. Its insult to the revered soul of Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty. This place – whom i take from your second name to be your custodian is heavenly to everyone who has ever known it. The guilty should be punished…
This was no religious place but a place of faith in love, those who dared to spill blood here should be destroyed if not anhilated
So, who did it?
As Salam Alaikum!
Incident really wet my eyes, not able to belive the most visited place in world after Mecca sharif.
The faith, Love and touchness to Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty will not get reduced.
Manoj, you are kind of right. Only a naive Muslim will believe that the terrorists loves them and that they are fighting a holy war. However, just let me add one thing to your comment. The terrorists who draw their inspirtion from Islam. This very statement makes Muslims to become very defensive. I am sure your intentions were not wrong but there are many in this country who equate these terrorists with the entire Muslim community.
Let me tell you the problem of today’s Muslim youth. They are sandwiched between suspicious eyes who tend to disown them as part of this country where there are incidents like Gujarat and Babri Masjid and then definitely a philosphy which tries to attract them towards violence.
Nationalism is something which is unquestionable. It can not get diluted because of any circumstance.There have many invaders in the past who came and amalgated in this country’s culture. We as Indian Muslims are then born here and part of this nation. One of my Hindu friends told me that so many Muslims came out to support Osama in India that he was scared for once that whether he is in Afghanistan. Just see the exaggeration and with this single exaggeration he has mixed all muslims in India with Taliban. Not all hindus in this nation can claim to be honest nationalists, law abiding citizens or perfect tax payers. Many hindus are uneducated, throw garbage on roads but this does not makes the entire hindu society villain. Similarly branding the entire Muslim society with terrorists and suspicion is something which needs to be strongly avoided.
Someone in the west said that these are muslim issues and only muslims can give the solution. One of the articles on this web site also points that Muslims will listen to traditionalists probably more rather than hindu voices . Probably Imams and Madarsas need to take a lead in Muslim education and modernisation which will actually make the Muslims more closer, safer and inherent in Indian culture. Many of the muslims who did came out to support Osama might have been so naive that they would have thought that afghanistan is a next door village. Some of them even didnt knew what they were doing. Modernisation is essential. There are inherent conflicts between muslim societies otherwise many muslim countries would not have undergone an Islamic revolution and killed Muslims in this process. There are definitely obstacles therefore in India where the Muslims can feel modernisation as an attempt to play with their religion, therefore the support of traditionalists.
Let me also tell you that lot of muslims today know the importance of education and also that in this current world of inflation we can not have many babies. However, things need to be told in a logical manner. Not all hindus also follow the 2 baby norm. Rather than making stupid voices like muslims are changing demography etc they should be told that education and living conditions are important for mental and physical well being.
Also definitely second your opinion that there are voices against sufism within Islam. Taliban would not have punished so many Muslims in Afghanistan if this was not the case. Hope that more Indian Muslims come on scene as an example of India’s development and cosmopolitan culture which can shut down voices against them.
In Name of Allah(The Most Merciful)
Sahil
1. Grim reminder of what can happen if opposition to Sufism (being discussed a few posts back) is taken to extremes. I couldnt follow the details too much esp with somebody putting up book-length comments there, but opinions were clearly divided.
Its how these divisions are handled that is more important than the divisions themselves. I have heard that puritans have more of a problem with Sufism than with other faiths because of the confusion with Islam itself ie. takes up space within Islam, appears to be Islam at least to non-Muslims. This ‘identity threat’ then justifies even violence to this group of internal competition.
2. Everybody here,
this Central govt is not really doing all it can to apprehend the wrong-doers. Some trade-offs may be necessary that are not going to be painless. Strict laws are not even considered, it would appear, for fear of upsetting the Muslim votebank.
Can you at IM please take this, most secular of Govts to task (unlike BJP etc. credentials are not suspect) and demand the enforcement of at least some moderate form of POTA? Failing that some stricter implementation of existing laws. Dont let them skate the way they seem to be now.
I know this is easier for me as a Hindu to say, at the lowest levels there is almost inevitably going to be some ‘profiling’ and unnecessary harassment of IMs. I am requesting IMs to hold the course and not quickly take to ‘profiling’ police and state authorities in their turn.
I dont know why police recruitment among minorities doesnt go up even with ‘secular’ govts in power most everyplace now.
I also dont know what it takes to improve police methods in general. I am pretty sure they will hassle or manhandle you if you are from a ‘lower economic stratum’ in a very secular fashion. I hope IMs keep this general inefficiency and use of force in context before jumping to the ‘cops are communal’ bandwagon.
3. Ultimately it boils down to: We all need to turn up the heat on this govt. Dont allow the tactic of “if you dont put up with this, you will get BJP and that will be a lot worse!” that makes mere survival a sufficient criterion (I think Mohib has posts on this theme).
Thanks,
Jai
Okay,
just after I finished the above comment, I read a report in the WEEK magazine, an opinion poll on IMs that said 56% of all respondents had been harassed in the investigation after any such atrocity ( I think ~20% yes and ~36% sometimes) of about 1031 respondents. That sure doesnt look good.
regards,
Jai
Sahil – “Not all hindus in this nation can claim to be honest nationalists, law abiding citizens or perfect tax payers. Many hindus are uneducated, throw garbage on roads but this does not makes the entire hindu society villain.
Well these are facts, and Indians DO have a reputation across the world for being dishonest in our dealings (we are high on corruption index) and for lack of civic sense and irresponsible public behaviour. i think the reputation is correct despite my own ‘clean’ behavior
Point is – ur logic is very defensive. Please don’t use it. I’d be kidding myself to say that the entire muslim community is villain – they are just human like anyone else. but u’d be kidding urself if u don’t believe that an alarming no of muslims don’t feel love for a monster like OBL and its not an example of the flip side of any ‘brotherhood’ ideology.
This is very sad, all of it. Today Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan. More than a hundred were killed; and she was almost killed herself. Every incremental compromise that we all have made with the terrorists and fanatics is now coming back to haunt all of us, Muslims included. But there is not enough trust between Muslims and non-Muslims to launch a response to all of this that will be effective. If India were to try and root out the OBL supporters from its land, it would be unable to without alienating so many people, that in the end, OBL and co would be even stronger. A very tough situation.
very good article brother salman
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This is one of the most rofound posts I have read. I will not make any comments. Anguish is always a person’s own. However, there is a request. I am the Bureau Chief of a Global magazine and we are doing a feature on anti- terrorism and people support. I would really like, if you allow me to post your blog in our magazine, along with your name and photograph.
As Salam Alaikum!
a beautiful article brother salman that i can mention great