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Ziyarat is a pilgrimage to sites associated with the prophet Muhammad, his companions, or other venerated figures in Islamic history, such as Shi'a imams or Sufi saints.It literally means 'meeting'. Sites of pilgrimage include mosques, graves, battlefields, mountains, and caves. Iranian Muslims use the word ziyarat for both the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, and pilgrimages to other sites. Such sites are called Ziyaratgaah. The exact meaning of the term, or related terms, in other Muslim-majority countries is not clear. The lesser pilgrimages are not required of Muslims; only the Hajj is required. However, the lesser pilgrimages have often been the only pilgrimage available to many Muslims. Some Muslims believe that if they cannot do the Hajj, a ziyarat to a celebrated shrine can substitute for the Hajj. Hence local ziyarat is sometimes called the poor man's Hajj. Etymology "Ziyarat" comes from the Arabic word "zur" meaning "to visit". The word is actually pronounced "ziyarah" with a silent 't' at the end but as Arabic is not the first language of most Muslims, the word is commonly pronounced "ziyarat" rather than "ziyarah". It can also be transliterated from Arabic as "ziarah". Pilgrimage sites Pilgrimage sites are associated with the lives of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions, or with the Shi'a Muslim imams and their families, or with various Sufi saints. Different Muslim-majority countries, speaking different languages, use different words for these sites. Sufi places of worship and retreat may be built near the graves of famous Sufi saints; they are often called khanqahs or tekkes. Afghanistan Algeria Bangladesh India The Ziyarat sites in India are owned and maintained by the Wakf Boards of the respective states in which they are located. Image:Nizamuddin.jpg|The dargah of Khwaja Nizamuddin Awliya, Delhi. Image:TombSalimChisti.jpg|The dargah of Salim Chisti, through the Buland Darwaza. Image:Haji-Ali-2.jpg|The dargah and mosque of Haji Ali Indonesia Iran Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists several hundred "ziyarat-gah" or places of pilgrimage in which a sage, Sufi, Imamzadeh, or Imam were buried in Iran. Some of the more popular ones include: Image:Bastam ghabr.jpg|The Bastami complex in Bastam, Semnan Province of Iran. Image:Masoumeh.jpg|Shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh, one of Iran's holiest places. The shrine complex includes dozens of seminaries and religious schools. Image:Sheikh-safi.jpg|Sheikh Safi's tomb, Ardabil. Image:Haram emamzadeh saleh.jpg|Inside Imamzadeh Saleh in Tehran Image:Mahan.jpg|Shrine of Shah Nur ad-Din Ni'matullah Vali in Kerman. Image:Shazdeh hosein qazvin.jpg|Shazdeh Hosein shrine, Qazvin Image:Emamzadeh-hamzeh.jpg|Imamzadeh Hamzeh, Mahshahr-Hendijan, Khuzestan. Image:Shebli2.jpg|Shrine of Sheikh Shebeli, Damavand. Iraq Israel and Palestine
Kazakhstan Malaysia Mali Morocco Pakistan Saudi Arabia Singapore South Africa Syria Turkey Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Controversies Some Sunni groups — the Wahabi and Salafi — believe that many kinds of ziyarat should be classified as shirk, or idolatry, and bid'ah, or innovation. In many cases, Wahabis or Salafis who have achieved political power over a country or a region have used that power to prevent ziyarat and even to destroy pilgrimage sites. The government of Saudi Arabia supports the Wahabi interpretation of Islam. As the Guardian of the Two Holy Shrines, it attempts to prevent Shi'a and Sufi Muslims from performing ziyarat while they are visiting Mecca and Medina during the Hajj. One popular pilgrimage site, the Baqi Cemetery, is surrounded by large billboards proclaiming the sinfulness of shirk and grave-worshipping. Visitors are advised to visit the cemetery only to remind themselves of death and the transitory nature of life. Note on "the poor mans Hajj" It is apparently a folk belief in South Asia that passing through the gate of the Dargah of Khwaja Sahib seven times is equivalent to doing the Hajj. According to the Tribune of India: "The “zannati darwaja” is opened only four times in a year during Khawaja’s Urs, on Id-ul-Fitar, Sixth of Id and Bakrid. It is considered by faithfuls that one who passes through the “zannati darwaja” gets his seat reserved in “Zannat” (heaven) after death. Moreover seven rounds of the “Darwaja” gives “sawab” equal to Haj pilgrim. Those who cannot afford to go for Haj come here when the “darwaja” traditionally remains open and pass through it seven times. This is called poor men’s Haj." * See also Non-Muslim directory Shia guides | |||||||||
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