{{Short description|Grave shrine}} {{for|places in Iran|Dargah, Iran (disambiguation)}} [[File:Fatehpur Sikri near Agra 2016-03 img02.jpg|thumb|The [[Tomb of Salim Chishti]] at [[Fatehpur Sikri]], India was built in 1581 during the reign of [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] Emperor [[Akbar]].]]
A '''Sufi shrine''' or '''dargah'''{{efn|{{langx|fa|درگاه|dargâh}} or {{lang|fa|درگه}} ({{Transliteration|fa|dargah}}); {{Langx|tr|dergâh}}; [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]: {{lang|hi|दरगाह}} or {{lang|ur|درگاہ}} ({{xlit|hi|dargāh}}); {{langx|bn|দরগাহ|dôrgah}}; {{langx|zh|拱北|Gongbei}}.}} is a [[shrine]] or [[tomb]] built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a [[wali|Sufi saint]] or [[dervish]]. [[Sufi]]s often visit the shrine for ''[[ziyarat]]'', a term associated with religious visitation and pilgrimages. Dargahs are often associated with Sufi eating and meeting rooms and hostels, called ''[[khanqah]]'' or hospices. They usually include a mosque, meeting rooms, Islamic religious schools ([[madrasa]]s), residences for a teacher or caretaker, hospitals, and other buildings for community purposes.
== Etymology and other terms == {{Sufism}} ''Dargah'' is derived from a Persian word which literally means "portal" or "threshold."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Delage|first1=Remy|last2=Boivin|first2=Michel|title=Devotional Islam in Contemporary South Asia: Shrines, Journeys and Wanderers|date=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1317380009}}</ref> The Persian word is a composite of {{xlit|fa|dar}} ({{lang|fa|در}}) meaning "door, gate" and {{xlit|fa|gah}} ({{lang|fa|گاه}}) meaning "place". It may have a connection or [[connotation]] with the [[Arabic]] word {{xlit|ar|darajah}} ({{lang|ar|دَرَجَة}}) meaning "stature, prestige, dignity, order, place" or may also mean "status, position, rank, echelon, class".{{Citation needed|date=December 2025|reason=Please cite reliable sources for information about etymology and/or specialized terminology.}}
The same structure, carrying the same social meanings and sites of the same kinds of ritual practices, is called ''[[maqam (shrine)|maqam]]'' in the Arabic-speaking world.
Sufi shrines are found in many Muslim communities throughout the world and are called by many names. The term ''dargah'' is common in the Persian-influenced Islamic world, notably in Iran, Turkey and South Asia.<ref>{{cite book |last=Alkazi |first=Feisal |date=2014 |title=Srinagar: An Architectural Legacy|location=New Delhi |publisher=Roli Books |isbn=978-9351940517}}</ref>
In [[Islam in South Africa|South Africa]], the term is used to describe shrines in the [[Durban]] area where there is a strong [[Indian South African|Indian]] presence, while the term ''kramat'' is more commonly used in [[Cape Town]], where there is a strong [[Cape Malay]] culture.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Acri |first1=Andrea |last2=Ghani |first2=Kashshaf |last3= Jha |first3= Murari K. |last4=Mukherjee |first4= Sraman |year= 2019 |title=Imagining Asia(s): Networks, Actors, Sites |location= Singapore|publisher=ISEAS |isbn=978-9814818858 }}</ref>
[[Islam in China|In China]], the term ''[[Gongbei (Islamic architecture)|gongbei]]'' is usually used for shrine complexes centered around a Sufi saint's tomb.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.china.org.cn/travel/Ningxia/2011-01/04/content_21670030.htm |title=Muslim Architecture |website=China.org | access-date=2020-06-07}}</ref>
== Significance == {{More citations needed|section|date=December 2025}} Some Sufi and other Muslims believe that dargahs are portals by which they can invoke the deceased saint's intercession and blessing, as per ''[[tawassul]]'', also known as {{xlit|fa|dawat-e qaboor}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bilgrami|first1=Fatima Zehra|title=History of the Qadiri Order in India|date=2005|publisher=Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli|page=291|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3UwAAAAYAAJ&q=dawat+sultan+bahoo}}</ref> {{lang|fa|دعوتِ قبور}}, "[[invocation]]s of the graves or tombs" or {{xlit|fa|‘ilm-e dawat}} {{lang|fa|عِلمِ دعوت}}, "knowledge of [[invocation]]s". Still others hold a less important view of dargahs, and simply visit as a means of paying their respects to deceased pious individuals or to pray at the sites for perceived spiritual benefits.
However, dargah is originally a core concept in Islamic Sufism and holds great importance for the followers of [[Sufi]] [[saint]]s. Many Muslims believe their wishes are fulfilled after they offer prayer or service at a dargah of the saint they follow. Devotees tie threads of {{lang|fa-Latn|[[mannat]]}} ({{lang|fa|منّت}}, "grace, favour, praise") at dargahs and contribute to [[Langar (Sufism)|langar]] and pray at dargahs.
Over time, musical offerings of dervishes and [[Sheikh (Sufism)|sheikh]]s in the presence of the devout at these shrines, usually impromptu or on the occasion of [[Urs]], gave rise to musical genres like [[Qawwali]] and [[Kafi]], wherein [[Sufi poetry]] is accompanied by music and sung as an offering to a ''[[murshid]]'', a type of Sufi spiritual instructor. Today they have become a popular form of music and entertainment throughout [[South Asia]], with exponents like [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]] and [[Abida Parveen]] taking their music to various parts of the world.<ref name="enc">[https://books.google.com/books?id=au_Vk2VYyrkC&dq=abida+parveen&pg=PA317 Kafi] ''South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka'', by Peter J. Claus, Sarah Diamond, Margaret Ann Mills. Taylor & Francis, 2003. {{ISBN|0-415-93919-4}}. p. 317.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BfukTDZTBNMC&dq=Kafi+poetry&pg=PA133 Kafi] ''Crossing boundaries'', by Geeti Sen. Orient Blackswan, 1998. {{ISBN|8125013415}}. ''p. 133''.</ref>
In South Asia, dargahs are often the site of festivals ([[Milad (disambiguation)|''milad'']]) held in honor of the deceased saint on the anniversary of his death (''[[urs]]''). The shrine is illuminated with candles or strings of electric lights at this time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Currim |first1=Mumtaz |last2=Michell |first2=George |date=1 September 2004 |title=Dargahs, Abodes of the Saints |location=Mumbai |publisher=Marg Publications |isbn=978-8185026657}}</ref> Dargahs in South Asia, have historically been a place for all faiths since the medieval times; for example, the [[Ajmer Sharif Dargah]] was a meeting place for Hindus and Muslims to pay respect and even to the revered Saint [[Mu'in al-Din Chishti]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Khan|first1=Motiur Rahman |title=Akbar and the Dargah of Ajmer|date=2010|publisher=Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44147489 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=71 |pages=226–235 |jstor=44147489 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://nayadaur.tv/2020/11/how-dargahs-unite-people-of-all-faiths/ |title=How Dargahs Unite People Of All Faiths|website=nayadaur.tv|date=24 November 2020}}</ref> ==List of present-day shrines== {{Incomplete list|date=December 2025|items=|type=Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Central Asia}} There are many active dargahs open to the public worldwide where aspirants may go for a retreat. The following is a list of dargahs open to the public.
* Shrine of [[Abdul Qadir Gilani|Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani]] in [[Baghdad]], Iraq * Shrine of [[Moinuddin Chishti|Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti]], [[Ajmer Sharif Dargah]], [[Ajmer, Rajasthan]], India * Shrine of [[Ahmad Ullah Maizbhandari]] in [[Chittagong]], Bangladesh * Shrine of [[Amrohi Syed|Syed Shah Wilayat Naqvi]], [[Amroha]], India * Shrine of [[Lal Shahbaz Qalandar]] in [[Sehwan Sharif]], [[Pakistan]] * Shrine of [[Sultan ul Arifeen Hazrat Syed Rakhyal Shah Sufi AL Qadri]] in Dargah Fateh Pur Sharif [[Gandawah]] [[Balochistan]] [[Pakistan]] * Shrine of [[Pir Hadi Hassan Bux Shah Jilani]] in [[Duthro Sharif]], Pakistan * Shrine of [[Bulleh Shah|Baba Bulleh Shah]] in [[Kasur]], Pakistan * Shrine of [[Piran Kaliyar Sharif|Piran Kaliyar]] in, [[Roorkee]], India. * Shrine of [[Nadir Ali Shah|Murshid Nadir Ali Shah]] in [[Sehwan|Sehwan Sharif]], Pakistan * Shrine of [[Ali al-Hujwiri|Data Ganj Bakhsh Ali al-Hujwiri]], [[Data Darbar]], [[Lahore]], Pakistan * [[Shah Jalal Dargah|Shrine]] of [[Shah Jalal]] in [[Sylhet]], Bangladesh * Shrine of [[Ashraf Jahangir Semnani]] at [[Ashrafpur Kichhauchha, Uttar Pradesh]], India * Shrine of [[Dargah of Shah Ata|Shah Ata]] in [[Gangarampur, West Bengal]], India<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asikolkata.in/dinajpur.aspx |publisher=ASI, Kolkata Circle |title=History of Dargah of Shah Ata|website=Asikolkata.in|access-date=2017-08-22}}</ref> * Shrine of [[Erwadi, Tamil Nadu|Syed Ibrahim Badshah Shaheed, Erwadi, Tamil Nadu]], India * Shrine of [[Nagore Dargah]] in [[Nagore, Tamil Nadu]], India * Shrine of [[Thiruparankundram Dargah|Sulthan Sikandhar Badhusha Shaheed, Thiruparankundram Dargah]], Tamil Nadu, India * Shrine of [[Madurai Maqbara|Meer Ahmad Ibrahim, Madurai Hazrat Maqbara]], [[Madurai, Tamil Nadu]], India<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.maqbara.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517165631/http://www.maqbara.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 17, 2008|title=Maqbara.com – Madurai Hazraths Maqbara}}</ref> * Shrine of [[Nazim Al-Haqqani|Shaykh Nazim Al-Haqqani]] in [[Lefka]], Cyprus<ref>{{cite web|url=http://saltanat.org|title=Sheikh Nazım Al Haqqani Al Qubrusi An Naqshibandi|access-date=6 April 2016}}</ref> * Ma Laichi's Mausoleum (Hua Si Gongbei) in Linxia, China
<gallery widths="200" heights="200"> File:Qawalli at Ajmer Sharif dargah.jpg|A ''[[qawwali]]'' performance at the [[Ajmer Sharif Dargah]] at [[Ajmer]], India. The dargah houses the grave of [[Moinuddin Chishti]] of the [[Chishti Order|Chishti order]]. File:Splendid Shrine of Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya.jpg|[[Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya]] in [[Multan]], Pakistan. [[Bahauddin Zakariya]] was a famous saint of the [[Suhrawardiyya|Suhrawardiyya order]]. File:Darbar-e-Jilani duthro Sharif.jpg|Shrine of [[Pir Hadi Hassan Bux Shah Jilani]] at [[Duthro Sharif]] in [[Sanghar District]], Pakistan File:NAGORE DARGAH,TAMILNADU - panoramio.jpg|[[Nagore Shahul Hamid|Hazrat Shahul Hameed Qadir Vali Bathusha Nayagam (R.A)]] in Nagore Dargah </gallery>
==Opposition== The [[Ahl-i Hadith]], [[Deobandi]], [[Salafi]] and [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] religious scholars argue against the practice of constructing shrines over graves, and consider it as associating partners with God, which is called [[Shirk (Islam)|''shirk'']].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shrine |url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t243/e315?_hi=4&_pos=7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224142358/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t243/e315?_hi=4&_pos=7 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |access-date=2018-08-10 |website=The Islamic World: Past and Present (Oxford Islamic Studies Online) |language=en |quote=Many modern Islamic reformers criticize visits to shrines as mere superstition and a deviation from true Islam.}}</ref><ref name="brandeis" />{{Additional citation needed|date=December 2025|reason=Please cite reliable sources to verify all the preceding details, or revise statement to stay within scope of what already cited sources say.}} They believe Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]] strongly condemned the practice of turning graves into places of worship and even cursed those who did so.<ref name="brandeis">{{Cite book |last1=Ondrej |first1=Beranek |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/cp/CP2.pdf |title=From Visiting Graves to Their Destruction: The Question of Ziyara through the Eyes of Salafis |last2=Tupek |first2=Pavel |date= |publisher=Brandeis University. Crown Center for Middle East Studies. |year=2009 |editor-last=Naghmeh |editor-first=Sohrabi |series=Crown Paper (Crown Center for Middle East Studies/Brandeis University) |pages=19 |quote=Relying mainly on hadiths and the Qur’an, Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab’s most famous work, The Book of God’s Unicity (Kitab al-tawhid), describes a variety of shirk practices, such as occultism, the cult of the righteous (salih), intercession, oaths calling on other than God himself, sacrifices or invocational prayers to other than God, and asking other than Him for help. Important things about graves are remarked on in a chapter entitled “About the Condemnation of One Who Worships Allah at the Grave of a Righteous Man, and What if He Worships [the Dead] Himself.”72 Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab starts by quoting a hadith: “Umm Salama told the messenger of Allah about a church she had seen in Abyssinia in which there were pictures. The Prophet said: ‘Those people, when a righteous member of their community or a pious slave dies, they build a mosque over his grave and paint images thereon; they are for God wicked people.’ They combine two kinds of fitna: the fitna of graves and the fitna of images.” He then continues with another hadith: “When the messenger of Allah was close to death, he ... said: ‘May Allah curse the Jews and Christians who make the graves of their prophets into places of worship; do not imitate them.’” From this hadith Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab derives the prohibition of building places of worship over graves, because that would mean glorification of their inhabitants, which would amount to an act of worship to other than Allah. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810233401/https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/cp/CP2.pdf |archive-date=10 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=December 2025|reason=Please cite reliable sources to verify all the preceding details, or revise statement to stay within scope of what already cited sources say.}}
== See also == {{Portal|Religion|Islam|Education|Psychology|Art|Architecture}} * [[Datuk Keramat]] * [[Maqbara]] * [[Marabout]] * [[Mazar (mausoleum)|Mazar]]
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == * Ernst, Carl W. (2022). Chapter 9: "The Spirituality of the Sufi Shrine". ''The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality''. pp. 165–179. {{Doi|10.1002/9781118533789.ch9}}.
== External links == * {{Commons category inline|Dargahs}}
{{Islamic architecture}} {{Sufism terminology}} {{Authority control}}
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