By IANS
New Delhi : The kebabs sizzled and the korma simmered, new clothes were bought and festivity was the order of the day across millions of homes Friday as Muslims in India celebrated Eid-ul-Zuha in the true spirit of sacrifice, prayer and giving.
Dressed in their best, they poured into mosques, swarmed markets, feasted on goodies and visited each other’s homes to wish Eid Mubarak. The fact that the festival was on a Friday, the day of the weekly namaz, added to the fervour of the occasion that passed off peacefully despite some apprehension of trouble.
The day, also known as Bakr-Eid, is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar. It commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son on Allah’s command. According to Islamic belief, Allah wanted to test Ibrahim and told him to sacrifice his son Ismail.
He agreed to do it, but found his paternal feelings hard to suppress. So he blindfolded himself before putting Ismail at the altar on Mount Mina near Mecca.When he removed his blindfold after the sacrifice, he saw his son standing in front of him.
On the altar lay a slaughtered lamb. It is in honour of this test of faith that Muslims around the world sacrifice animals on the occasion to show their faith in Allah.
The spirit continues till this day.
Soon after the morning prayers, devotees all over the country sacrificed goats and other animals following the traditions set by the Prophet. Meat was donated to the poor in the spirit of sacrifice and giving that the festival symbolises.
In the capital, a sunny morning and dipping mercury set the mood. The centre of festivities as always was the 17th century Jama Masjid where 50,000 devotees offered prayers.
An official of the Delhi Wakf Board said mats were laid out in the alleys surrounding the mosque, as the shrine could not accommodate the crowd.
The narrow streets of the walled city were packed with revellers – young girls and women clad in ‘shararas’, flowing divided skirts, silk burqas and colourful bangles and men attired in traditional white kurtas and colourful caps.
If Delhi was bright and sunny, devotees in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir braved snow and rain to pray at the historic Hazratbal shrine and the Jamia mosque in the state’s summer capital Srinagar.
The congregation at the Hazratbal shrine was the largest in the trouble-torn state. Mosques in Baramullah, Anantnag, Badgam, Pulwama and Kupwara also drew large crowds.
The Eid spending in the state was also the highest this year. An official of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited said: “People withdrew Rs.280 million from the bank’s ATMs across the valley in the last two days.”
A survey published in the local media said Rs.80 million were spent buying sacrificial goats alone. In Srinagar, people purchased cookies and cakes worth over Rs.30 million in the last three days.
More than 300,000 people prayed at the historic Eidgah Mir Alam in Hyderabad.Security was tightened at Eidgahs and mosques in view of the recent bomb blasts in the city. Forty people were killed in the twin blasts on Aug 25.
Nearly three million Muslims prayed in mosques across Gujarat and more than 200,000 thronged the mosques in Ahmedabad alone, Gujarat zone president of Jamait-e-Islami Hind Mohammed Shafi Madni said.
Eid celebrations in the city of the Taj, Agra, began on a cheerful note. The Taj Mahal was open for two hours from 9 a.m. and from 2 p.m. for prayers. Security was tight at Jama Masjid and Idgah and traffic was diverted.
Eid was peaceful in Nagpur despite fears that there could be trouble over cow slaughter. Citing ‘intelligence’ inputs about cow sacrifice on Eid, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal had appealed to the police to ensure that cows were not slaughtered along with goats.
“While the police assured us that strict vigil would be mounted at check posts and slaughter houses, our workers too were vigilant,” VHP city unit secretary Hemant Jambhekar said.
But the fears of trouble were unfounded and people celebrated joyously.
West Bengal celebrated Eid feasting and praying with traditional grandeur and piety. In Kolkata, from dawn `ajaan’ there was a flurry of activity at different mosques, including the famous Tipu Sultan Masjid.
Several arterial roads, including the Red Road, were closed as ten of thousands of Muslims offered ‘namaz’ resplendent in their fresh clothes.
“The turnout at Red Road was above 100,000. The same was followed by the gathering at the Tipu Sultan Mosque,” Noor Nuru Rahman Barkati, the sahi imam of West Bengal, told IANS.
“We prayed and urged all in our community to live in peace and religious harmony. India is a secular country and so the message was one of harmony,” he said. “The people from our community feasted and made merry since it is the second biggest festival of the Muslims,” he said.