Nearly 1,000 dervishes from the Qadiri Tariqa Sufi order gathered at the tomb of founder Sheikh Abdul Qadir Gilani in Baghdad on Saturday and Sunday. The dervishes came from South and Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere to commemorate his birthday. Together, they practiced dhikr, the repeated recitation of short prayers. “Visitors come from all over the world...there is no difference between us - we are all Mohammedi [on the path of Prophet Mohammed],” said Qadiri Tariqa member Ali Mohammed. Gilani was born in Gilan, northwestern Iran in 1077. He moved to Baghdad aged 18, where he would become a renowned Islamic scholar. He died in Baghdad in 1166. Gilan’s tomb is located in Baghdad’s predominantly Kurdish Kifah neighborhood. More than 300 followers from Kurdistan Region took part in the event - though Baghdad’s ongoing protests mean overall visitor numbers have dropped this year. “We were told the situation here is not stable, but the lovers of [Gilani] insisted on being present at this sacred event,” Qadiri Tariqa leader Issa Abdulrahman said. “We revive this event here every year and we do the same upon our return to Kurdistan.” Reporting by Mustafa Goran Translation by Sarkawt Mohammed
