Pulwama: For Sheikh family in Pulwama Ramadan is more than being part of fasting, they have taken upon themselves to wake people for Suhoor, the pre dawn meal. Its their sixth generation to drumbeat and wake people up.
For Nazir Shmad Shiekh, 35, ‘its part of my ibadah (worship) and this gives Sukoon (calm) to heart.
“I traverse through lanes and by lanes of my village which is also outskirts of Pulwama,” Sheikh said.
Sheikh walks almost three Kilometers around drumbeating announcing time to have a pre-dawn meal has come.
Sheikh is a 12th standard drop out and after Ramadan he will join his work as a laborer.
“ He was very keen for this and he became popular”, said Mohammad Rafiq Sheikh father of Nazir.
Nazir and his father be wake up at around 2 am in the midnight, offer Tahujud nimaz before moving around drum beating.
“We recite Naats and Durood and after an hour would return home for meal,” they said..
Nazir, wants his children to be the one ‘who would wake the believers to wake up its time to begin your Ramadan’.
According to Sheikhs its not about money, they say, they never ask for it.
“It’s to serve people, gain reward from Allah, refreshes our souls and it will benefit us after we leave this world on qayamah,” said Nazir.
However Nazir said that people do give them money but all of its ‘voluntarily’.
