In a rare bid to save the Kashmiri language, the clergy delivered a sermon in the vernacular on October 16

Kashmiri chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addresses a rally at Jamaal Masjid in Srinagar on Friday. File. | Photo credit: ANI

In a rare effort by Kashmiri clerics to preserve the local language, all Friday sermons on October 16 will be delivered in the Kashmiri language, Kashmir’s Chief Cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on Friday (October 9, 2026).

“The first coordinated khutbah (sermon) across mosques and imambargahs on October 16 will focus on faith and will be delivered in the vernacular, a precious treasure of our distinct Islamic identity and heritage,” Mirwaiz said.

This was announced at an urs (special occasion) by Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani, a local saint of Budgam. “His ‘shrukas’ (verses) have enriched and preserved the Kashmiri language. To preserve Kashmiri is to preserve our identity, memory and civilizational heritage. Younger generations should speak, read and cherish their mother tongue,” Mirwaiz said.

He said that the saint was a torchbearer of the concept of ‘Imaan’ and ‘Tawheed’ and represented it in his speech in the vernacular. He said other issues that clerics in Kashmir should address together would be unity among Muslims, drug abuse, suicide and mental health concerns, youth issues, abuse of social media, family concerns and environmental responsibility. “It will be held one after the other on the following Fridays as part of a coordinated programme,” Mirwaiz said.

Published – 10 Oct 2026 01:10 IST