The Sandal Maali of Hazrat Syeda Maa Habeebunnisa (Rahmatullah Alaiha) is celeberated on the 2nd or 3rd day of the Islamic month of Rabbi Ul Awwal. It also happens to be the only time of the year when the female devotees are allowed to enter the inner part of the dome (wherein lies the mazars of Khwaja Rahmatullah and Maa Habeeba). The event being the first among the chain of ritualistic events that are performed during the month in commemoration of the yearly Sandal and Urs celeberations of Hz Khjwaja Nayabe Rasool and Ammajan. A lot of people travel to Rahmatabad to attend this event.
What Is Sandal Maali ?
Sandal Maali is a ritual (rasm) that is generally performed a few days before the actual Sandal is celeberated. In this ritual the mazars are sprinkled and cleaned with rose water and are relaid and reshaped with a paste comprising of sandalwood powder, mud prepared from purified soil, aame haldi , itr (perfumes without any alcohol content) and other ingredients. The ritual is performed by the female members of the family of the Sajjada Nasheen on the mazar of Ammajan while the mazar of Khwaja Nayabe Rasool is tended by the male Khadims. The male devotees are allowed to apply sandal wood paste on the mazar of Khwaja Rahmatullah while the female devotees queue up to apply the same to the mazar of Syeda Maa Habeebunnisa. Since its the only time of the year when women are allowed entry inside the mazars there is an unprecedented rush of female devotees for this event. The ritual that starts after the daily Salam (read after Namaz-E-Isha) continues till late in the night.
Jhela:
The Jhela Mubarak of Hazrat Haji Syed Khwaja Rahmatullah (RA) Nayabe Rasool is celeberated on the 22nd day of the Islamic month of Rabbi Ul Awwal every year. It is one of the important events that takes place before the sandal of Khwaja Rahmatullah. In this practice the golden moon atop the Gumbaz (dome) of Khwaja Nayabe Rasool is decorated with Floral decorations. The first Jhela to be placed atop the golden moon is prepared and contributed by the Dargah Management and the Sajjada Nasheen while the subsequent jhelas are offered by the devotees. Different floral contributions by the devotees are tied to the bigger Jhelas which are then placed one by one along the golden moon which makes it a sight to behold.