Know the secrets of Amroha Shah Wilayat dargah where scorpions never sting

New Delhi: India is a land of miracles and magic arts. Saints, sufis, miracle men are worshipped by devouts in thousands, and on their anniversaries, in lakhs.In Uttar Pradesh's Amroha is the shrine of Sharfuddin Shah Wilayat, popularly known as Dada Shah Wilayat, who had travelled to India from Iran.There is a reason behind this familiar address, ('Dada' means 'paternal grandfather') as the people of Amroha claim they are all descendents of Shah Wilayat. The saint's dargah is widely known for its deadly black scorpions, which can kill at the slightest provocation, but these scorpions never sting a devotee within its premises. They are supposed to be the guardians of the shrine. These black scorpions belong to a species which can give a painful sting, and can even cause death. Everybody knows that stinging is the nature of a scorpion. But in the premises of the shrine, no scorpion stings, no matter if it is used to sting before. This change of behaviour in the scorpions is attributed by devotees to the miracle of Shah Wilayat. Any visitor to the shrine can handle these venomous creatures without getting hurt, and if they wish, they can ask permission from Dada Shah Wilayat to take one of the scorpions with them, but will have to fix a specific date on which the scorpion will be returned. The scorpion will not sting, until the taker oversteps the due date and doesn't return it back to the shrine, according to hearsay legend. Legend has it that when Shah Willayat arrived in Amroha, the sufi of the nearby area, Hazrat Khwaja Geso Daraaz Rehmatullah Aleh sent him a cup full of water, hinting that the place was already saturated with spirituality due to his presence. Hazrat Shah Willayat smiled and put a rose on the water of that bowl and returned it back. In response, the learned sufi Geso Daraaz exclaimed: "On your shrine there will be scorpions". Shah Willayat replied 'yes, but they won't sting and on your shrine there will be donkeys.' To which Geso Daraaz replied saying 'yes, but they won't desecrate the place by their refuse'. Then there is the tree, which metes out justice. Criminals used to be hung from its gnarled branches, while the innocents were pardoned. Of course, when we mention the shrine of Dada Shah Wilayat, one cannot forget his sister, Daadi Bakhoee. This lady was to be married to a prince, but when she realized that her family couldn't match the earthly splendor of that of the prince, she prayed to God to be taken away. Legend has it that the earth opened up and embraced this daughter, leaving a tiny piece of her braid sticking out of the ground.