The ‘urs of the patron saint of Lahore: national popular festival and sacred union between the Pakistani State and society?

Abstract

Sufi shrines in Pakistan are the communal loci of popular piety. Through their symbolic meaning and capacity for mobilization, they have become pivotal power stakes in Pakistani politics. Since the late 1950s, the State has attempted to nationalize them and make them tools for the construction of its identity and authority, in a modernist perspective embodied in the Ministry of Religious Endowments ( awqaf ministry). In Pakistan, the veneration of saints takes a spectacularly festive turn during the ‘ urs (meaning ‘marriage’ in Arabic, symbolizing the union of the saint with God). As the anniversaries of the death of saints, the ‘urs have become the focus of yearly pilgrimages. In nationalized shrines, these popular festivals are managed by the awqaf ministry. Among the most notable is the ‘urs of the patron saint of Lahore, Hadhrat Syed Ali Bin Uthman al-Hujweri (1010–1072). His shrine is one of the biggest in Pakistan and his ‘urs constitutes one of the largest religious gatherings in the Pakistani calendar. Massively loaded with nationalist and political symbols, the religious ritual is legitimized as a key element of national identity and, conversely, serves to legitimize the government and its administrative machinery. Hence, the State exploits the pilgrimage as a political platform in order to communicate with the population, through emotional and symbolic means. Thus, the celebration of the union of the saint with God somehow becomes the yearly opportunity for the sacred union between the Pakistani State and society.