Pervez Bari | Clarion India
BHOPAL – The four-day 77th Tablighi Ijtima, an Islamic global congregation, began on Friday at Eintkhedi on the outskirts of Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh, with lakhs of Muslims from all across the country and abroad in attendance.
During the opening day, spread over four sessions, clerics invoked the gathering to become practicing Muslims by following the commandments as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and emulating the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in their day-to-day lives.
The four-day congregation will conclude on December 2 after mass prayers. On the penultimate day of the Ijtima a mass Nikah ceremony will be held.
Addressing the gathering, Mufti Abdul Aziz of Indore, laid stress on following the path of good in the world and abstaining from sins. While emphasising faith and belief, he said that the propagation has been the work of the prophets right from Adam which was done on the commandments of Allah and then carried forward by the last Messenger and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Thereafter, his Sahaba (Companions) propagated Islamic teachings to the people in general. Ever since the work of the propagation of Islam became strong, the Sahaba ruled the countries through this work and peace was established.
According to Dr Umar Hafeez Khan, media coordinator of the Ijtima Committee, 25,000 volunteers have been deployed at the venue. There are 80 food zones with 400 kiosks. Besides, there will be separate food stalls for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Separate food zones have also been made for the visitors.
Around two crore litres of water to be used at the venue will be recycled for irrigation purposes. “We have arranged 1,000 passenger buses for Ijtima purposes,” he added. Police have regulated vehicular movement in the area and diverted the traffic.
One notable feature of this Ijtima is the introduction of two motorbike ambulances in case of emergencies.
Meanwhile, the district administration has also instructed officials of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), PWD, Health Department, PHE, Fire Brigade, Electricity Department and other departments to work round the clock to ensure proper management at the venue. There is a total ban on the use of single-use plastic at the Ijtima site.
The Ijtima participants include visitors from Myanmar, Singapore, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sudan, Egypt, France, Tunisia, Kenya, Australia, the USA and the UK.
