Faith Features

The last event, in 2009, the 35th Annual Urs Mubarak (and Mela) took place from Thursday 6th August right through to Monday 10th August 2009.
Urs Mubarak Information Line is 07966323301 - and an online welcome is on YouTube (put 'Urs Mubarak' into your search engine).

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BBC reporter Mark Stewart first visited the Urs Mubarak in the troubled 1990s. He returned in 2008, and this is his account of the visit.
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The summer gathering at the Darbar Unique Centre is a special event. Over four days, thousands of people will visit. They will offer prayers, they will listen to devotional music and hear sermons, and they will, actually, simply just have a good time. Food and drink and good companionship are all on offer inside the large marquee constructed for the festival.

And they especially come, from all over the world, to celebrate the 'saint' - for that is what the word 'pir' means - in their midst. The holy man has lived here, in this city, since he was a boy; a boy of whom it was said, after he had a vision, and that he had special powers to heal.

Although many come to see him, hear him and often to consult him directly, the saint does not himself claim to have miraculous powers. Nevertheless, many of his followers leave his presence convinced that only good things can then happen for them: women will conceive; businessmen will have good luck; the sad will be cheerful; and the sick may be cured.

Changes

And how different is the scene here in 2008 to what it was over a decade ago! Then, the centre, in Fenton, one of Stoke on Trent's six towns, was under a cloud of controversy.
Residents in the small terraced street in which the centre is sited claimed that the area was blighted by all the traffic arriving, which led to parking problems. The council had to deal with the thorny problems presented by the centre's desire to expand, and then to build a car-park. The issue was even said to have led to a surge in votes for the BNP in Fenton.
This situation created a palpable tension. The volunteers who looked after the centre back then were very suspicious of the press, and in fact any outsiders. I remember being curtly refused admission (despite being told it was "open to all") and warned off the premises, even though I showed my BBC credentials.

Yet it is a changed scene nowadays. When I arrived, many of the street's houses were already decorated with Islamic banners which flapped brightly in the sunshine. Most visitors now use a custom-made car-park behind the centre, removing many of the parking issues, and much of the resentment from residents of previous years seemed to have disappeared.
The council now has a good relationship with the centre; the Lord Mayor of the city even opened the event, staying himself for nearly six hours.

And this year there was a true and genuine welcome. Though I turned up unannounced, I was immediately treated as a guest, taken into the marquee and introduced to the children playing there - and even given a gift of fruit blessed by the saint. I was even asked if I wanted to meet the saint - but, sadly, I was unable to stay until the evening audiences, so I had to decline.

Visitors

The Urs is an international, multi-religious event.

Many children attended too

In 2008, some two thousand people turned up over the four days, some from as far away as Belgium. The man who looked after me during my visit came from Burnley - the first Muslim in his district, he told me - and had been coming for years. He even told me that a surprisingly large contingent came from Scotland!

But the visitors are not restricted to Muslims. Many Hindus and Sikhs were present. One Hindu man told me that he was convinced that it was his adherence to the saint which had helped him succeed in business. A few Christians too were said to come to pay their respects too.
Of course, Sufism, which is practised here, is a strand of Islam which seeks a more mystical approach and is less strident than other sects in the religion - which may make it more appealing to non-Muslims.

In 2008, celebrities came too. Azhar Lodi, the famous Pakistani newscaster, came to pay his respects. The musician Dildar Hussain, who played with the famous Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, was also said to be making an appearance.

Message

But what of those who come, not for a 'cure', but for a message? What did they hear? The main organiser of the event, Abdul Wahab, who runs his own small business in the city, told me that this year the saint's theme in his preaching was a hope for peace on earth among all human beings, and a hope that the misconceptions about the meaning of Islam may be dispelled.

And, for many of the people I spoke to, that was enough. They did not come to be healed, but to be close to a man that they believe has a spiritual richness and a special message.

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The Urs is held at the Darbar Unique Centre, Fenton, Stoke on Trent, ST4 3PG. All are welcomed with a greeting of Peace, and Allah's Blessing.