The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and dargah (tomb) located
on an islet off the coast of Worli in the southern part of Mumbai.
The Haji Ali Dargah
was constructed in 1431 in memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his
worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Hailing from Bukhara, in present day Uzbekistan, Bukhari travelled around the world in the early to mid 15th
century, and eventually settled in present day Mumbai.
According to legends surrounding
his life, once the saint saw a poor woman crying on the road, holding an empty
vessel. He asked her what the problem was, she sobbed that her husband would
thrash her as she stumbled and accidentally spilled the oil she was carrying.
He asked her to take him to the spot where she spilt the oil. There, he jabbed
a finger into the soil and the oil gushed out. The overjoyed woman filled up
the vessel and went home.
Later,
Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari had a recurring and disturbing dream that he had
injured Earth by his act. Full of remorse, he soon fell ill and directed his
followers to cast the coffin carrying his body into the Arabian Sea. Haji Ali died during his
journey to Mecca and miraculously the casket carrying his body, floated back to
these shores, getting stuck in the string of rocky islets just off the shore of
Worli. Thus, the Dargah was constructed there.
On
Thursdays and Fridays, the shrine is visited by at least 40,000 pilgrims.
Irrespective of faith and religion, people visit the dargah to get the
blessings of the legendary saint. Sometimes, especially on Fridays, various Sufi musicians
perform a form of devotional music called Qawwali
at the dargah.
Source: Wikipedia
