On July 16, the devout will get to see the Holy Quran written by the Sufi Saint of Mahim, to whose grave thousands throng for paying respects and prayers. The Pir Makhdum Saheb Mahim Dargah, the organisation which looks after the Mahim Dargah, will be keeping for Ziyarat (open to public viewing) the Holy Quran calligraphed by the Sufi Saint who grave lies in the Dargah.
The Quran was written by Makdoom Shah Baba or Makhdum Fakih Ali Mahimi after whom the Mahim Dargah is named. "This copy of the Quran was written over 600 years ago. Bringing it out for public viewing is a yearly thing that we do. This time round, the Ziyarat can be done on July 16 from 10 pm to 1.45 am," said Shamim Shaikh, manager of the Dargah. The Ziyarat of the Quran is held on the 29th evening of the holy month of Ramzan.
Each year, thousands come to see the holy book. These include people of various ages and religions. It is said that the pages of the book continue to be in good condition and the ink over it is still fresh. The lettering is in black ink, and is big and bold.
"Our Maulanas also read some verses from the Quran," informed Shamim. The Quran is kept in the open, at a distance of over one meter, for people to see. It is, however, put on display for just three hours. Once the spectacle is over, it is returned to the silver embroidered case that houses it year-round, and devotees have to wait for another year to catch a glimpse of it.
