{"id":264787,"date":"2026-08-25T22:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/264787\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T22:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T22:59:09","slug":"shafaq-news-prophet-muhammads-hair-relic-attracts-visitors-to-iraqs-kirkuk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/264787\/","title":{"rendered":"Shafaq News..Prophet Muhammad’s hair relic attracts visitors to Iraq\u2019s Kirkuk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n 2026-08-25T22:19:32+00:00<\/p>\n

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Shafaq News- Kirkuk<\/p>\n

Hundreds of visitors are gathering at Kirkuk Citadel to view
\na strand of hair attributed to Prophet Muhammad, as celebrations of his
\nbirthday (Mawlid) keep alive a religious tradition preserved by one family for
\ngenerations.<\/p>\n

The relic is kept at the Najeeb Tekke, one of the city’s
\noldest religious lodges. The family responsible for the site believes it
\narrived in Kirkuk from Turkiye during the Ottoman era and has remained in its
\ncare ever since. Stored in a special case, the relic is displayed only on major
\nreligious occasions, when visitors from across Kirkuk and other Iraqi provinces
\ngather at the historic lodge.<\/p>\n

Fikret Najeeb, the current custodian, inherited
\nresponsibility for the relic from his father, continuing a duty passed down
\nthrough generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis hair has been preserved by our family for
\ngenerations,\u201d Najeeb told Shafaq News. \u201cOur ancestors passed down the
\nresponsibility of caring for it, protecting it and preserving it as a relic
\nattributed to the Prophet of Islam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Kurdistan Region marks Prophet Muhammad’s birthday<\/a><\/p>\n

The annual observance also draws attention to Kirkuk’s wider
\nheritage of mosques, shrines and tekkes, many of which have formed part of the
\ncity’s religious landscape for generations.<\/p>\n

Salim Majeed, director of the Sunni Endowment Office in
\nKirkuk, described the anniversary as a time to reflect on the life and
\nteachings of Islam and the values associated with them. \u201cIt is an opportunity
\nto remember his life and the values of mercy, tolerance and good character,\u201d
\nMajeed told Shafaq News.<\/p>\n

The Najeeb Tekke receives large numbers of visitors during
\nthe annual observance, he added, while the Endowment helps preserve many of the
\nsite, organizes the flow of visitors while maintaining the sanctity of the
\nfacility.<\/p>\n

Its location inside Kirkuk Citadel gives the lodge another
\nlayer of significance. Historical accounts trace the tekke to the Ottoman era,
\nand it continues to bear the name of Sayyid Muhammad Najeeb.<\/p>\n

Read more: Duhok celebrates Prophet Muhammad\u2019s Mawlid<\/a><\/p>\n

The building’s importance, however, extends beyond its
\nwalls. \u201cTekkes in Kirkuk were not only places for worship and religious
\nremembrance,\u201d Abdul Karim Khalifa, a researcher specializing in Kirkuk’s
\nhistory, explained. \u201cThey also played educational, social and cultural roles,
\nwhile strengthening the values of coexistence for which the city is known.\u201d<\/p>\n

That distinction places the relic at the intersection of
\ndocumented history and inherited memory. During the annual celebrations, visitors
\nbegin arriving at the citadel in the morning. Men and women, young and old,
\ngather at the tekke to visit the site, read the Quran, and offer prayers and
\nblessings.<\/p>\n

For many, the gathering serves as both a religious
\nobservance and a social occasion, bringing together residents from different
\nparts of Kirkuk.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreserving places such as this involves more than
\nmaintaining old buildings,\u201d Khalifa remarked. \u201cIt requires documenting their
\nhistory and the traditions connected to them, while distinguishing between
\nestablished historical records and accounts handed down through generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Qadiri Sufi followers mark Prophet’s birthday in Erbil<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2026-08-25T22:19:32+00:00 font Enable Reading Mode A- A A+ Shafaq News- Kirkuk Hundreds of visitors are gathering at Kirkuk…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264788,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[14],"tags":[94,7007,72749,72750,68747,72748],"class_list":["post-264787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-iraq","tag-iraq","tag-kirkuk","tag-kirkuk-citadel","tag-mawlid","tag-prophet-muhammad","tag-prophet-muhammads-hair-relic-attracts-visitors-to-iraqs-kirkuk"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117158633272971306","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}