It’s a warm, musty afternoon on Saturday when an anonymous letter arrives at the Jinnon Wali Masjid. It’s a plea from a dejected farmer, seeking help from ‘jinns’ in finding his lost buffalo and also fulfilling his needs, which include no less than a car, a grand kothi in a plush area and a buffalo herd bigger than any other dairy owner in town.

As the day wears on, more pleas arrive. One is from an Old City resident wanting his lost son back, another in pink paper lists desire for a good bride.  The tone and tenor of the letters may leave a first-timer bemused, but for the caretaker of the mosque, situated in Sarfarazganj near Musa Bagh on Hardoi road, it is hardly a matter of surprise.

“It’s the mosque of jinn, another creature by Allah, who lives here and also fulfils wishes of the faithful,” says mutwalli of the mosque, Prince Ali Hussain Mirza alias Nawab Gauhar Agha Saheb Peer Baba.

Peer Baba, caretaker of the mosque for 45 years, says there is hardly any faithful whose wishes are left unfulfilled.

Among the ‘applicants’, Peer Baba mentions the case of a Sitapur-based businessman who made a visit to the mosque last month seeking the jinn’s help in bringing him prosperity and saving him from frequent losses. “The man had suffered losses of Rs 18 lakh and was on the verge of bankruptcy. He pleaded with the jinns and got immediate relief,” Baba shares with HT.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities / by Oliver Fredrick, Hindustan Times, Lucknow / June 09th, 2015