An annual urs in Jatoi, Muzaffargarh, concludes with a bulls’ race to pick a prayer leader for the biggest mosque in the area.
According to tradition, each bull is owned by a candidate, “whose piety is proven by the speed of its bull”. It is believed that the bull owned by the best candidate wins.
This week, too, the villagers chose their prayer leader through a bulls’ race at the end of Wilayat Hussain Shah Bukhari’s urs.
The villagers say they believe that a prayer leaders picked this way is the best for them “whose prayers never go unheard”.
Forty-eight bulls participated in this year’s race. The candidates came from Jampur, Fazilpur, Alipur, Seetpur, Muzaffarhgarh, Manakpur, Gidpura, Baseera and Kot Addu.
The bulls are divided onto 24 groups, each two bulls. The wining bull from each race qualifies for the next round. The later rounds involve longer races.
Kot Addu resident Shahbaz Rafiq Lahori was appointed the prayer leader after his bull beat all others.
Taking to The Express Tribune, Rafiq said he was blessed to have been chosen. He said within 24 hours of being declared the prayer leader, over 2,000 people had approached him for prayers and blessings.
He said around 1,000 people had asked him to pray for a male child for them.
Malik Khalil, a resident of Fazilpur, who said he had come to Jatoi to attend the race, also said that he was happy that Lahori had won. He said Lahori was known to be a pious man who understood tradition.
Allah Divaya, one of the villagers who had been in the festival’s management team, said that the festival had immense importance for the people of the area. He said the urs was a tribute to Bukhari. At the same time, he said, people sought his blessings in helping them pick the best of the candidates.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2013.