Srinagar, Oct 09 (KNO): Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq on Friday announced that the first common Khutbah across participating mosques and Imambargahs will be delivered on October 16 on the theme of “Imaan (Faith),” as part of the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema’s (MMU) coordinated initiative to promote unity and address societal challenges.
In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), an MMU spokesperson said Mirwaiz, while addressing the Friday congregation at Jama Masjid Srinagar, paid tribute to Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani (RA), popularly known as Alamdar-e-Kashmir, recalling his enduring spiritual, moral and cultural contributions to generations of Kashmiris.
The spokesperson said Mirwaiz highlighted how Sheikh-ul-Alam’s *Shruks* enriched and preserved the Kashmiri language, stressing that preserving Kashmiri meant preserving the region’s identity, collective memory and civilisational heritage. He urged younger generations to speak, read and value their mother tongue.
Referring to the September 15 MMU conference, Mirwaiz said a committee had been formed to review suggestions and recommendations from participating Ulema and work out their implementation. The committee met this week and discussed a structured follow-up programme.
He announced that the first coordinated Khutbah across participating mosques and Imambargahs on Friday, October 16, would focus on “Imaan (Faith),” which he described as the fundamental common ground binding the Muslim Ummah together.
Mirwaiz said Sheikh-ul-Alam was a standard-bearer of Imaan and Tawheed in Islam, reflected in his discourse and *Kalaam* in the Kashmiri language, which remain a cherished part of the region’s distinct Islamic identity and heritage.
He said strengthening these concepts and practising them in daily life and interactions was the best tribute people could pay to the revered Sufi saint.
Mirwaiz said that despite differences in *Maslak* and religious interpretation, Muslims remained united by the essentials of their faith. Strengthening Imaan, he said, was the starting point for strengthening individuals, families and society.
He said recognising this shared foundation of faith would allow legitimate religious differences to be approached with greater respect, restraint and Islamic ethics of disagreement, rather than becoming a cause of hostility or division.
The *Mimbar*, he said, was an *Amanah* and should be used to deepen faith, strengthen common bonds and remind people of the responsibilities arising from Imaan.
Other issues identified at the MMU conference, including unity of the Ummah, drug abuse, suicide and mental health concerns, youth challenges, misuse of social media, family concerns and environmental responsibility, will be taken up in subsequent Friday sermons as part of the coordinated programme.
Taking forward another decision of the September conference, Mirwaiz said the first district-level Ulema meeting would be held in Bandipora. The one-day gathering will deliberate on societal challenges facing people at the local level and explore how Ulema, mosques and madrasas can respond in a coordinated and practical manner.
He said the district-level process would subsequently be extended to other areas as part of the MMU’s wider effort to translate the conference recommendations into practical action through coordinated Friday sermons, district-level engagements and community awareness.
Mirwaiz also announced that he would deliver next Friday’s sermon at the shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani (RA) at Charar-i-Sharief.—(KNO)