Wadhawa ni Rasam

After talking briefly on the rasam of sharbat/misri/sodannu in our last issue, let’s throw some light on a rasam so common in every mumin’s household and which is generally coupled with the rasam of sharbat offering in majaalis. That is “Wadhawa ni Rasam.”

Primarily, there are two important question tags attached with this rasam, i. e., what and how. Mumineen have queries as to:

  • What is to be kept in wadhawa ni thali?
  • How to do wadhawanu?

Following things are kept in the wadhawa ni thali:

  • Coconut
  • Betel-nut leaf
  • Betel-nut
  • Silver coin
  • Fruits/dry fruits/chocolates

How to do wadhawanu?

  • The person for whom wadhawanu is being done, sits high on a chair/sofa/cushion.
  • The person doing wadhawanu begins rotating the thali from his/her bottom right.
  • Thali is rotated from over the head of the person to his/her feet.
  • Thali is rotated in odd numbers; one, three, five or seven.
  • The person for whom wadhawanu is done, should not eat anything from his/her wadhawani thali after wadhawanu is done. Misri or chocolate to be offered to him/her by the person doing wadhawanu should be kept out of thali.

If wadhawanu is for someone’s waras, then:

  • A red cloth is spread over the seat and the person sits on the red cloth.
  • After doing wadhawanu with thali, wadhawanu is also done with two pinches of salt; one taken with each hand.
  • Wadhawanu with salt is done with both the hands simultaneously. Right hand goes anti-clock wise and the left hand does vice-versa.
  • The salt is then disposed off respectfully.

For aqa maulaTUS and hudood kiraamDM, coconut is wrapped in silver waraq.

Besides “what” and “how” of this lofty rasam, “why” is an important question tag. Hudaat KiraamAS have initiated this rasam and is followed since centuries. The name “wadhawanu” means add or increase. Hence, by doing wadhawa ni rasam, one conveys his/her wishes through action praying for manifold increase in joy and happiness and long life for the person whose waras is being celebrated.

It is important to narrate here the historic account of this rasam being executed in the era of Al-Dai Al-Ajal Maulana Taher SaifuddinRA for him. After he appointed Al-Dai Al-Ajal Maulana Mohammed BurhanuddinRA his ma’zoon and mansoos, it was customary that wadhawanu was done for both; the Dai and his mansoos. Maulana Taher SaifuddinRA would direct the person doing wadhawanu for him to repeat the rasam for his mansoos in his presence.

We witnessed the same tradition being followed for Al-Dai Al-Ajal Maulana Aali Qadr Mufaddal SaifuddinTUS after he was appointed mansoos by Al-Dai Al-Ajal Maulana Mohammed BurhanuddinRA.

Equally important here to mention is that it is our staunch belief that wadhawani rasam is being done for Daiz Zamaan and for none other in his presence except for his mansoos (unless directed otherwise by the Dai himself). Whoever demands (by himself) it to be done for him along with Daiz Zamaan, claims it unlawfully and must not be complied with.

Aqa MaulaTUS benevolently gives sharaf of wadhawanu in his presence to Hudood KiraamDM on their salgirah.

May every mumin, muminah and farzando get the golden opportunity of doing wadhawanu to Daiz Zamaan once in the life time.

May Allah grant Maulana Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin Aqa, the custodian of Thaqafat Fatimiyah,  a long life till the day of Qiyamah. Amin.

Comments are closed.