Shafaq News..Prophet Muhammad’s hair relic attracts visitors to Iraq’s Kirkuk

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Hundreds of visitors are gathering at Kirkuk Citadel to view
a strand of hair attributed to Prophet Muhammad, as celebrations of his
birthday (Mawlid) keep alive a religious tradition preserved by one family for
generations.

The relic is kept at the Najeeb Tekke, one of the city’s
oldest religious lodges. The family responsible for the site believes it
arrived in Kirkuk from Turkiye during the Ottoman era and has remained in its
care ever since. Stored in a special case, the relic is displayed only on major
religious occasions, when visitors from across Kirkuk and other Iraqi provinces
gather at the historic lodge.

Fikret Najeeb, the current custodian, inherited
responsibility for the relic from his father, continuing a duty passed down
through generations.

“This hair has been preserved by our family for
generations,” Najeeb told Shafaq News. “Our ancestors passed down the
responsibility of caring for it, protecting it and preserving it as a relic
attributed to the Prophet of Islam.”

Read more: Kurdistan Region marks Prophet Muhammad’s birthday

The annual observance also draws attention to Kirkuk’s wider
heritage of mosques, shrines and tekkes, many of which have formed part of the
city’s religious landscape for generations.

Salim Majeed, director of the Sunni Endowment Office in
Kirkuk, described the anniversary as a time to reflect on the life and
teachings of Islam and the values associated with them. “It is an opportunity
to remember his life and the values of mercy, tolerance and good character,”
Majeed told Shafaq News.

The Najeeb Tekke receives large numbers of visitors during
the annual observance, he added, while the Endowment helps preserve many of the
site, organizes the flow of visitors while maintaining the sanctity of the
facility.

Its location inside Kirkuk Citadel gives the lodge another
layer of significance. Historical accounts trace the tekke to the Ottoman era,
and it continues to bear the name of Sayyid Muhammad Najeeb.

Read more: Duhok celebrates Prophet Muhammad’s Mawlid

The building’s importance, however, extends beyond its
walls. “Tekkes in Kirkuk were not only places for worship and religious
remembrance,” Abdul Karim Khalifa, a researcher specializing in Kirkuk’s
history, explained. “They also played educational, social and cultural roles,
while strengthening the values of coexistence for which the city is known.”

That distinction places the relic at the intersection of
documented history and inherited memory. During the annual celebrations, visitors
begin arriving at the citadel in the morning. Men and women, young and old,
gather at the tekke to visit the site, read the Quran, and offer prayers and
blessings.

For many, the gathering serves as both a religious
observance and a social occasion, bringing together residents from different
parts of Kirkuk.

“Preserving places such as this involves more than
maintaining old buildings,” Khalifa remarked. “It requires documenting their
history and the traditions connected to them, while distinguishing between
established historical records and accounts handed down through generations.”

Read more: Qadiri Sufi followers mark Prophet’s birthday in Erbil