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One last day in Bukhara
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April 12
Our last day in Bukhara was a momentous one. Beginning with breakfast at the luxurious New Bukhara Hotel. (Left: Shaykh Hisham jokes with Shaykh Nazim). There, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim enjoyed the morning meal, which he gave a brief but astonishing explaining Surat al-`Asr. |
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The entire tour group proceeded to the maqam of Khwaja Arif al-Riwakri. |
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There, the ulama and keepers of the maqam eagerly greet Shaykh Nazim as he arrives. | ||
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...and lead him to the maqam of the great wali. | ||
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| People partake of the ZamZam from the well of Sayyidina `Arif. | ...and the shaykhs are hosted to green tea. | a traditional stonecutter at work on a new headstone for Sayyidina `Arif's grave. | |
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| The entire tour group then proceeded to the maqam of Khwaja Mahmoud al-Anjir al-Faghnawi, the laughing shaykh. | |||
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Abdul Karim Bromund of Maryland shows respect for an Uzbek elder in a traditional gesture by kissing his hand. |  |
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His Excellency Fazilgori Sabirov, Minister of Religion, accompanies Shaykh Nazim as he visits Shaykh Farghnawi. |  |
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After Salat al-Dhuhr, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim picks up a copy of "Al-Hidaya", a Hanafi manual of fiqh by a great Uzbek master, Burhanuddin Al-Marghalani. | ||
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He asked the Mufti, look up the "bab al-Adhan", Chapter on the Call to Prayer, and tell me what it says. After lengthy search, Mawlana pointed out a particular hadith - a hadith which pointed out the validity of reciting salawat and salaam out loud after the Adhan, the ultimate symbol of the followers of Ahl as-Sunna wal-Jama`at, known as al-Adhan al-Muhammadiya. |
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Mr. Dilbek escorts Mawlana Shaykh Nazim to the car from the home of Shaykh Abdul Ghafur, Mufti of Bukhara. |
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On the way back to Bukhara city, the delegation passed the great Ark Palace, home to generations of Sultans in Bukhara. |
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The Great Mosque of Bukhara - Mir Arab |
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| They then approached the Central Mosque of Bukhara, known as Mir Arab, where an
active madrasa faces the mosque of equal splendor and beauty. Shaykh Nazim would lead
prayers and give a short dhikr here not long after their arrival. As in traditional Uzbek urban design, the domed bazaars lie just down this street from the mosque. The ancient minaret towers over the square. |
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The square was crowded with hundreds of students and locals who heard about the shaykh's arrival in the news. The face of the madrasa, which currently offers classes and instruction for children of all ages. After classes, many children join their family businesses in the nearby bazaars. |
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HH Shaykh Raja
Ashman, Bahauddin Adil and Dato Mohamed Moiz of Malaysia barter with local vendors.
The inside of the mosque evokes the centuries of Muslim practice that took place here. |
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Locals crowd the mosque, eager to hear Shaykh Nazim's speech. |
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Minister Fazilgori interprets the Shaykh's animated sohbat from Turkish to Uzbek... |
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Following which, hundreds joined in to take initiation in the Naqshbandi-Haqqani tariqat and to lovingly greet the Shaykh. |
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| Shaykh Nazim concluded his prayers, speech and dhikr and entered the mosque courtyard shortly after Salat al-`Asr. | |||
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Dinner with Governor of Bukhara |
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That evening, Shaykh Nazim and Shaykh Hisham attended a dinner on behalf of the Governor of the Bukhara region. The governor presented the shaykhs with gifts of friendship and cooperation, as well as a gift for ISCA General Secretary Ms. Hedieh Mirahmadi. |
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| All posed for a group portrait |
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Following the dinner, all delegates were honored with a presentation of traditional Uzbek fashion and folk dance. |
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The head table, with ISCA officials and the governor. |
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Tourists from Germany, England and France were drawn by the sound of the music. |
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The night concluded with 'Isha prayers in a special room reserved by the hotel for this purpose. |
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 April 11 |
April 13 |
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