SRINAGAR: Authorities have prohibited night-long Shab-e-Qadr prayers at Kashmir’s grand mosque, Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, for the seventh consecutive year.
A member of the Jamia Masjid Auqaf Committee stated that officials informed the mosque management on Sunday evening that overnight Shab-e-Qadr prayers would not be permitted.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who delivers Friday sermons at the Jamia Masjid, has also been placed under house arrest at his Nageen residence.
Shab-e-Qadr, observed on the 27th night of Ramadan, is considered the holiest night in the Islamic calendar. Devotees traditionally spend the entire night in prayer and supplication, seeking Allah’s mercy and blessings.
In a post on X, Hurriyat Conference chairman and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said: “On the most sacred night of Laylatul Qadr, when prayers and supplications resound in mosques, the central Jamia Masjid Srinagar has once again been closed to worshippers, and I have been placed under house arrest. That the rulers fear prayers in a house of God speaks volumes about their insecurity and the shrinking space for religious practices.”
Authorities had also barred Jumat-ul-Vida (the last Friday prayers of Ramadan) at the historic mosque earlier in the week, locking all gates to prevent worshippers from entering.
Mehbooba Mufti, PDP chief and former Chief Minister, condemned the action, stating on X: “For the seventh year in a row, on the blessed night of Shab-e-Qadr, the gates of Jama Masjid have been locked and Mirwaiz Sahab placed under house arrest. Kashmiris are deprived of the fundamental right to worship. How callous and cruel to forbid this on a night eagerly awaited by all.”
Tanvir Sadiq, NC MLA, added: “On the blessed night of Laylatul Qadr, when believers worldwide turn to prayer seeking Allah’s mercy, it is painful that worshippers in Srinagar cannot pray at the historic Jama Masjid. Sacred nights are meant for reflection, humility, and collective supplication. Spaces for peaceful religious practice must remain open, especially on nights so significant to the faithful.”