MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. Islam’s Prophet Muhammad’s strand of hair, a holy Muslim relic, which will be brought to Russia’s capital Moscow from North Caucasian Republic of Dagestan on January 25 for the first time, was decided not to put on display at Moscow mosques.
The shrine will be available for watching only at a lobby of concert hall Crocus City Hall, north-west of Moscow Ring Road, at a Muslim festive evening Mawlid an-Nabi, chief of staff at Moscow Muslim Spiritual Board Kamil Manapov told TASS on Tuesday.
“Stepping up security and avoiding possible large numbers of believers and a stampede at mosques holiday’s organizers decided to limit the showing of the relic at Moscow government’s request,” Mannapov said, noting Mawlid an-Nabi guests would be able to worship the relic only after buying tickets at the concert hall. “Already on the next day, January 26, the shrine revered in the whole Muslim world will leave the Russian capital and will be brought back to its permanent place in the city of Makhachkala [capital city in North Caucasian Republic of Dagestan],” Mannapov said.
The relic will be delivered in a special capsule where it is being stored permanently, the press service of the Moscow Spiritual Muslim Board said earlier. To keep the shrine safe it will be put in a container of transparent glass. This will be possible to watch the shrine through a special magnifying glass. This is not customary to venerate the relic and “it will be showed rather as a museum exponent,” the press service noted.
“There are many people who want to watch the shrine,” organizers said, noting that the Crocus City Hall can admit up to six thousand.
In the Russian capital Moscow Muslim Spiritual Board and Russian Council of Muftis arrange the festive evening on the occasion of Mawlid an-Nabi, Prophet Muhammad’s birth anniversary feast, which was celebrated on January 2-3 this year.