Shaken & stirred, all turn to Almighty with fervour

LUCKNOW: Hands shivering, Shaheena Bano tied end of a red string to the side wall of the Dargah, praying for the country to be safe from earthquake aftershocks. In another part of the city, Sharon Jacob got up early Sunday morning, to pray at St Joseph’s Cathedral. It had been quite sometime since she had been to the Sunday church.
Like Shaheena and Sharon, hundreds of people turned to their respective places of worship, praying for safety following the earthquake that hit the neighbouring country on Saturday and then again on Sunday.Jamuna Prasad, priest of the Aliganj Hanuman Mandir, confirmed there was 30 to 40% rise in number of visitors to the temple. “People mostly throng the Hanuman mandir whenever they have trouble. On the weekend, huge crowds gathered at the temple to pray to the Sankat Mochan,” added Madanchand, the regular sweetmeat seller outside.
Gurudwaras around the city drew as many as 50% more people on both days. “Devotees generally come in for the morning and evening sessions of prayers, but this weekend, many turned in several times during the day too,” said Tejpal Singh Romi, secretary of Gurudwara Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha, Sadar area.
Old City resident Murshida Anjum was petrified even after the aftershocks had long subsided. “We locked up our houses and ran to Dargah Hazrat Abbas for community prayers,” she said. There is a special namaz meant for catastrophes like earthquake and also at times of solar and lunar eclipses, called Namaz-e-Ayat which is to be offered by all according to Islamic laws, informed Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad.
Special prayers and community namaz was offered also at the Aishbagh Eidgah, where many people came in to pray. “It is in such turbulent times we turn to God and if we have been fortunate enough not be hit by the earthquake, we should ask for His forgiveness,” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangimahali.
Prayers, bhajans, kirtans were offered at all places. “There was a larger gathering of people at the Sunday church service than other days, as people were still shaken up by the aftershocks,” said Reverend Morris Kumar, of the Assembly of Believers' Church, Aliganj. Father Elias, of St Joseph’s Cathedral said special community prayers had been organised on Sunday, to pray for the earthquake hit region.