DAWN Magazine
January 27, 2002
Quetta’s Jabal Noor-ul-Quran
By Muhammad Qasim Mengal
This Holy Quran-associated mountain is situated in the Chiltan Mountains, in the West of Quetta City, at a few kilometres’ distance and on the western bypass of Quetta, Pakistan. On reaching the site, it appears that it is not at all a mountain but a cave, wherein the scared task of the preservation of pages and damaged copies of the Holy Quran is being carried out. Besides the conservation and restoration of damaged scripts of the Holy Quran, from here the partially-damaged scripts, after restoration and systematical checking, are sent to religious institutions and mosques throughout the country, the transportation charges being borne by the administration of Jabal Noor-ul-Quran.
The novel idea of preservation of the Holy Quran in caves is linked with the concept of its revelation which occurred in the cave of Hira at Mecca. This innovative idea of preservation is one of its kind in the world.
Spread over an area of about ten acres, Jabal-i-Noor is now recognized as the site for the restoration of holy scripts. This noble and pious but arduous service is being rendered with no puffery in view, without any official assistance and entirely on self-help basis for the last ten years.
The source of inspiration for such a pious task is Wali Muhammad, who had devoted himself for the preservation of the Holy Quran by collecting damaged copies from mosques and seminaries and burying them in a hole in proximal vicinity. Some ten years ago, on persuasion and inspired by the sacred cause of Wali Muhammad, two Lehri brothers decided to cede the ownership of their land, including a portion of the mountain, for the noble cause of protecting and preserving the Holy Quran.
Later, Haji Allah Noor came up with the idea of creating a tunnel or cave for the purpose. Without the application of explosives or huge feats of engineering, twelve caves were crafted with lengths of about 200 feet and connected with one another by the simplest but most laborious implements of hammers and other equipments. This exhausting style of carving caves has enough potential to enchant visitors. All these caves, unlike a maze, do not confuse the visitors but each leads to the other.
Stepping inside, one experiences the inexplicable feeling of esteem and harmony with his surroundings. The Jabal-i-Noor cave complex has been decorated with an effective arrangement of electricity, creating a sense of mystery. A few rooms with prayer sheets, rosaries and various copies of the Holy Quran on a carpet for daily visitors to pray is the first scene that one comes across on entrance to the caves. People come here from far and wide to pray and recite the Holy Quran. Also on display in showcases are ancient scripts of the Holy Quran along with translations.
Irreparable copies of the Holy Quran are stored in sacks containing 30 to 40 copies each and dumped in the caves of the mountains. Around 65,000 sacks have been collected and properly stored uptill 2002 by the administration. The cloth used for sack-making has been provided by the local administration after seizing a big bulk of cloth bearing the name of Allaah and being reportedly sold in the city.
The team of Jabal-i-Noor has materialized a convenient and well-planned system of collection of damaged copies. They arrive here from all over the country, using personal contacts of the administration of Jabal-i-Noor. Green boxes have been affixed with poles, trees and buildings on the request of the people to put discarded papers containing holy text in them. From here, volunteers collect them as well as other martyred copies from the city and province.
A committee of notables has been supervizing the management of Jabal Noor-ul-Quran for the last eight years without any grant from the government or official patronage, though they are in dire need of it. A piece of land with a tiny kutcha mosque near the caves is also worth seeing.
Jabal Noor-ul-Quran is a place of peace and tranquillity. Everyone is allowed to participate in this scared cause through funding under the condition of absolute anonymity. THIS IS MY PAKISTAN!!!!
