The first phase of the Bishwa Ijtema on the banks of the Turag at Tongi concluded on Sunday with the offering of ‘Akheri Munajat’ (final prayer). Millions of devotees from different places of the country and abroad joined the final prayers at the Ijtema ground and sought forgiveness and divine blessings for peace and prosperity for Muslims around the globe. Senior religious scholar of Tablig Jammat, Maulana Mohammad Jobairul Hassan of Delhi, conducted the 20-minute ‘Akheri Munajat’ that started at 12.55 pm and concluded at 01.15 pm.
Devotees sought forgiveness from Allah and divine blessings for Muslim Ummah. Even the banks of the Turag river had turned into a vast sea of humanity spilling over to adjoining areas and road for ‘Akheri Munajat’.
During the Munajat, many people took position on the roofs of vehicles, boats and rooftops of residences surrounding the Ijtema ground. Pindrop silence prevailed during the Munajat. Traffic on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway remained suspended since Saturday midnight as scores of people had started marching towards the banks of the Turag. Educational institutions, offices and factories adjacent to the venue remained closed.
A large number of women from different parts of Dhaka, Gazipur, Tongi and Ashulia joined Akheri Munajat.
On the concluding day, religious scholars of Tablig Jammat delivered bayan (sermon) after Fazr prayers till noon. During the three days of the Ijtema, Islamic thinkers and Tablig jamaat leaders delivered sermons on Iman (faith in Allah), Akhlaq (manners), Practice and Dawat (invitation for Tablig). The sermons were delivered in different languages, including English, Bengali, Tamil, French, Hindi and Urdu.
After Akheri Munajat, people started thronging bus stands, railway stations and river ghats to return home. The Bangladesh Railway arranged special trains from Tongi Railway Station to different parts of the country. Besides, all inter-city trains stopped at Tongi Station.
The BRTC also arranged special bus service for the devotees. A long traffic jam was seen on the Dhaka-Mymensing highway, Tongi–Ghorashal Road and Abdullahpur-Savar Road after Akheri Munajat. There are reports that public buses, mini-buses and other vehicles charged extra money from the devotees.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, officials and members of different political parties joined the final prayer on Sunday. Hasina attended the Akheri Munajat in Dhaka with special arrangement of VDO conference.
BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia attended the prayers at the rooftop of Atlas Honda factory in Tongi, along with BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Gazipur City Corporation mayor Prof. MA Mannan, BNP central leader alhaj Hasan Uddin Sarker and other leaders.
Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque, religious affairs minister principal Motiur Rahman and state minister for home Asaduzzaman Khan were present at the Ijtema ground.
However, three devotees died of cardiac attack in the last day of Ijtema. They were Siraz Miah (50), son of Tara Miah of Siddik Bazar in Dhaka, Samir Uddin (70) of Langolbondha under Gopalgonj upazila in Sylhet district and Kashem Ali (57), son of Zahaboksh of Dohar in Dhaka district.
Altogether nine devotees have died in the three days of Bishwa Ijtema.
The first phase of Bishwa Ijtema started on January 24 and ended on Sunday with this Akheri Munajat. After four days, the second phase will start on January 31 and end on February 2.
Courtesy of The Independent
