'As if they were buried yesterday': Locals stunned as graves open after decades in Poonch

July 19, 2025 by News Desk

In a development that has left residents both stunned and awestruck, the bodies of an elderly couple, buried years apart, were found in an extraordinary state of preservation after their graves were unearthed by a landslide in the Chaitri Ari Kandi village of Mendhar tehsil in Jammu Kashmir’s Poonch district.

The incident unfolded earlier this week when a massive landslide, triggered by continuous rainfall, hit the hilly terrain of Ari Kandi. Among the areas impacted was a small graveyard where the couple, Molvi Muhammad Ibrahim, who passed away 24 years ago, and his wife Kaneez Khatoon, who died four years ago, had been laid to rest side by side.

To the astonishment of locals and relatives, both bodies were found in a largely undecayed state, their white shrouds still intact.

The villagers, many of whom gathered to witness the relocation of the graves, said they had never seen anything like it before.

Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, a resident, Mohammad Shafi, said, “We thought the bodies would be bones and dust by now. But when the soil was removed, we were shocked to see their kafan still white and the bodies uncorrupted. It was as if they were buried just yesterday.”

Another villager, Nasreen Bano, described the moment as spiritual and overwhelming.

“We believe this is a sign of their piety and clean hearts. Molvi Sahab was a respected religious man, and his wife was known for her simplicity and kindness. It’s a lesson for us,” she said.

The exhumed bodies were respectfully reburied at a safer location by local volunteers and religious elders, following proper Islamic rites.

While no formal investigation or medical analysis has been conducted into the preservation of the bodies, many in the area consider it a spiritual sign, a belief grounded in Islamic tradition that righteous souls may remain untouched by decay.

Local Imam Ghulam Nabi, who led the reburial prayers, told The Kashmiriyat, “These things are not for us to question, but to reflect on. Such events remind us of the eternal truths of our faith.”

The administration has yet to make any official comment on the incident, though local authorities are reportedly assessing the landslide damage across the region.

Meanwhile, the story of Molvi Ibrahim and Kaneez Khatoon has spread across neighboring villages, sparking discussions on faith, mortality, and the mysteries of the afterlife.

This is not the first time such an incident has stirred spiritual reflection.

One of the most well-known stories comes from Baghdad, where during the Mongol invasions, the grave of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani, the founder of the Qadri Sufi order and one of the most venerated saints in Islam, was reportedly disturbed.

Eyewitnesses are said to have found his body unspoiled and his shroud fresh, a narrative that continues to be shared in Sufi circles as a testament to his sanctity.

In more recent history, an incident during the Syrian conflict in 2013 brought global attention. ISIS terrorists exhumed the grave of Hujr ibn Adi, a companion of Prophet Muhammad, in Adra near Damascus.

Reports and visuals circulated widely at the time claimed the body was found in a preserved state over 1,300 years after burial.

In South India, stories persist around the shrine of Khwaja Banda Nawaz in Gulbarga, where caretakers and devotees speak of saints whose bodies remained fresh long after burial, attributing it to divine favour and righteousness.

Kashmir too has had its share of such extraordinary episodes. In 1990, the grave of Qazi Qamar-u-Din, the former Mirwaiz of South Kashmir and a key figure in the 1924 agitation against the Dogra regime, broke open due to excessive rainfall in Anantnag.

Buried at the Martyrs’ Graveyard near Jamia Masjid, his body was reportedly found in a fragrant, preserved state, despite decades having passed since his death. Eyewitnesses described it as a moment of awe and reverence.

Another local account speaks of a saintly woman buried near the shrine of Hazrat Syed Mir Mirak Shah Sahib in Srinagar, whose body was reportedly found undecayed many years after her passing, a story still told in local gatherings and religious circles.

While forensic science offers explanations such as anaerobic burial conditions, mineral-rich soil, or low temperatures as possible reasons for delayed decomposition, for many believers these moments transcend science.

They are seen as signs, subtle reminders of the spiritual weight of piety, humility, and righteousness.

For the people of Ari Kandi in Poonch, the unearthed graves of Molvi Muhammad Ibrahim and his wife Kaneez Khatoon have become more than just the aftermath of a landslide.