Kadam Rasul Allah

Kadam Rasul (also Kadam Rasul Allah) are shrines and mosques that contain stones believed to bear the footprint of Muhammad, the prophet and founder of Islam. Kadam Rasuls have been constructed in various traditions of Islamic architecture across the Middle East and South Asia.

In Bangladesh, the best known Kadam Rasul is that of Nabiganj, located across the Shitalakshya River from the city of Narayanganj. According to Mirza Nathan's Baharistan-i-Ghaibi, written during the early 17th century, this footprint was purchased from Arab merchants by Masum Khan Kabuli, an Afghan chief who had rebelled against the emperor Akbar. At the time a fortress built on raised ground marked the site. Inside it a shrine was erected in 1778 by Ghulam Nabi, a landlord of Dhaka. It is a single-domed structure with a verandah in front. In the middle of the chamber is the altar of the relic, which is usually kept in a metal dish submerged in rose water. The shallow imprint is cut in the shape of a foot; circular dents just below the upper edge indicate the toes. Incense, flowers, and money are offered at the shrine. The Mughal administrator Yasin Khan built a Kadam Rasul in 1719 in Chittagong, now in Bangladesh. It has a mosque in the centre, with two rooms on either side; one houses the footprint of Muhammad, and the other that of Abdul Qadir Gilani, a 12th century saint of Baghdad. There is another Kadam Rasul shrine in Bagicha Hat within Chandanaish zila of Chittagong District.