QUETTA: “Zikris are a peaceful sect,” said U*, a student at the Balochistan University. “They are simple, loving and honest people and great lovers of the Ahle Bait [the family members of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)],”he said.

U, who belongs to the minority group and wished not to be identified for fear of being stigmatized, said Zikris have been facing many difficulties, hatred and persecution due to some misconceptions spread by “our enemies in General Ziaul Haq era and subsequent rise of fundamentalism.”  “The Zikris minorities often hide their identity due to misconceptions about their religious practices and their beliefs, ‘’ he said.

Syed Essa Nori, a scholar from Balochistan, wrote in one of his books that Zikris are an important part of Balochistan and that they have served the province and the country despite every hardship.

“They cannot be differentiated from other Baloch people as their lifestyle is the same. In Balochistan it is possible that one brother is Zikri and the other one is Namazi [common Muslim].”

According to some scholars, Zikris are followers of Syed Mohammad Jaunpuri, who is regarded as the founder of Mehdavism. Jaunpuri, born in Jaunpur area of India’s Uttar Pradesh province in 1443, was a descendant of Hazrat Imam Moosa Al-Kazim (AS).

During the pilgrimage to Makkah, Jaunpuri had declared that he was the Promised Mehdi, a revered figure who, according to Islamic beliefs, will emerge ahead of the Day of Judgment and will fight with the Dajjal, the False Messiah. According to some texts on Mehdavism, this sect of Jaunpuri underwent some transformation during the time of one of his disciples Mullah Muhammad Attki, who traveled to Iran and met a leader of Batinnya sect, a branch of Ismailia. Attki got inspired by Batinnya ideas and the Zikri sect evolved as a result of a fusion.

T* – an academic at the Balochistan University who is a Sunni Muslim but whose forefathers belonged to the Zikri community –  said the most sacred place for the Zikris is the Koh-e-Murad, which is situated in Turbat area of Makran district.  T said some people say that Koh-e-Murad is important historically because Mullah Attki stayed there during his last days. However, U has a different story to tell.

“There was a Zikri noble man who went on his mission to spread Zikri faith in Balochistan. This man incidentally ran into some of his enemies and in order to save his life he hid himself in the Koh-e-Murad for a few days. Even today, the marks of his hands and feet can be seen at the hill and that is the reason why the Koh-e-Murad is sacred to Zikris,” he said.

In Balochi and Persian languages “Koh” means mountain and “Murad” means desire or wish.

T said the hill is named the Koh-e-Murad because the Zikris believe that wishes of all those who visit the place are fulfilled. On 27th of Ramazan, he said, two religious rituals of Zikris – respectively called Chaughan and Sifat – are performed at the hill. Describing Chaughan, he said during the ritual people make a big circle with an old lady standing in the centre.

”The woman recites some verses of the Quran and people repeat the verses while dancing in a circle. In Sifat, the lady praises and admires the Almighty and people in the circle reply to her incantations.

“The woman asks who is awake and who is asleep and the people reply by saying that Allah is awake and people are asleep,” he said. Talking about their way of worshiping, he said, “Zikri people recite the Quranic verses five times a day and offer a long sujood after each recitation.”