By IANS,
Hyderabad : Milad-un-Nabi, the birth anniversary of the Prophet Mohammed, was celebrated Friday with gaiety and fervour in Hyderabad and other parts of Andhra Pradesh.
Meetings, rallies, free distribution of food among the poor, blood donation camps, ‘mahafil-e-milad’ or special gatherings in praise of the Prophet were held to mark the occasion in the city.
Police had beefed up security, especially in the old city of Hyderabad, to maintain law and order. Security personnel were deployed around the places of worship and public places.
Hundreds of people participated in a rally taken out from the historic Mecca Masjid. The rally and the Friday prayers across the city passed off peacefully.
Holding green flags and raising slogans in praise of the Prophet, youths took out rallies on motorbikes in various areas to mark the occasion.
The old city and other Muslim-majority areas were decked up with green flags, festoons and huge banners in markets and residential neighbourhoods. Markets were illuminated since Thursday night with people in few places installing models of ‘Kaaba’ and ‘Masjid-e-Nabavvi’, the holiest shrines in Mecca and Madina.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed around Charminar, where a row over a temple had led to communal clashes in November.
Police also made additional security arrangements in view of the recent arrest of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in a hate speech case.
Addressing the meetings, religious scholars and community leaders exhorted Muslims to strictly follow ‘seerat-e-tayyaba’ or the holy life of the Prophet for the success in this world and the hereafter.
Hundreds of people attended the annual meeting organised by Majlis-e-Tameer-e-Millat at the Nizam College ground.
At a mammoth public meeting organised by the MIM Thursday night, party president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi appealed to Muslims, especially youths, to bring a change in their lives by following the teachings of the Prophet.
Pakistani religious scholar Mufti Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah also addressed the meeting. Two other Pakistanis, Hamid Ali Saeedi and Zulfikar Ali Hussaini, also spoke.
The day was also celebrated in Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Adilabad, Kurnool and other towns in the state.