Bangladesh: Biggest gathering of devotees benefited locals

The second largest congregation of Muslim community in Bangladesh after the holy Hajj at sacred city of Makkah on the occasion of annual grand rally of Tablighi Jamaat, a world Islam preaching movement, opened new doors of income for locals.

The gathering, popularly known as Bishwa Ijtema, assumed a new look as a great annual festival to the locals who were trying to change their fates through this yearly arrangement.

According to locals and field visit data, more than one thousand temporary business stalls were made circling this congregation holding in two phases on the banks of river Turag on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. 

Different business institutes including garments factories, book publishers and producers of many other daily commodities made those temporary stalls as commonly seen during trade fair.

They were selling and campaigning for their products at those stalls that lasts for 15 days based on the two phases of congregation within a gap of one week.

The traders paid Bangladeshi 50,000 to 100,000 taka [$590 to $1180] to the local land lords as land rent for every stall.

“I have made this temporary structure of my stall with my own cost and paid taka 100,000 to the owner of the land,” Sheikh Md Shahalam a small garments trader told Anadolu Agency on Friday evening while passing busy hours at his stall, with so many devotees gathering there to buy warm clothes for cold.

Challenging heavy cold and foggy weather, tens of thousands of Muslim devotees have taken part in the second phase of the three-day congregation began Friday morning with general sermon, or spiritual speech completely based on Islamic morals.

“Almost everywhere in the 160-acre open venue, there were Tablighi brothers [devotees] and we hope that more than 400,000 Muslims have joined in the [three-day] congregation,” Mohammad Sayem, one of the coordinators of the second phase program told Anadolu Agency.

Besides, around 2,500 Muslims from different countries of the world including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Iraq, Malaysia and some other countries have also participated in the second phase, Sayem added.

“More than one million Muslims took part in the Jumma prayer on opening Friday with us,” Sayem said, adding that Muslims come here, seeking divine blessings, welfare of the country and peace and tranquility worldwide.

Festival for locals

Local land lord Sumon Sarker told Anadolu Agency: “Since my childhood I have been enjoying this biggest congregation. It is not only a religious gathering for us. It’s a festival for us that we wait for the whole year”.

He said that most of the people of this area are not financially solved. “But this religious congregation has come to us every year as divine blessings. Without any investment we can earn a very handsome amount now just by lending our land for only two weeks”.

“Hundreds of local youths are also working with us on the basis of contractual payment. They use it as a great opportunity for extra income,” Mohammad Abdullah working at a book stall told Anadolu Agency.

This correspondent also observed hundreds of floating venders at the in and around the gathering site selling various minor items like caps, light foods, water, dates, sweet, tea, mobile charges, earphones, mask and the like.

Many others including poor women were seen preparing light foods including traditional cake or pasty on roadsides around the congregation.

Mahbubur Rahman, who was selling tea carrying in a flask, told this correspondent that he earns almost ten times more during this festival compared to other days.

Moral lesson

Meanwhile, devotees of different ages coming from remote areas of the country were seen listening sermons and preaching Islamic lessons to each other.

“I am a government employee and have come here from the northern border district of Chuadanga to gain Allah’s mercy,” 60-year-old Siraj Uddin Ahmed told Anadolu Agency.

University student Mohammad Imran coming from southern district of Khulna, however, told that people gather here ignoring severe cold and travelling hassles to learn honesty, sincerity and teachings of Islam.

“For a developed and prosperous country we must need honest, sincere and patriotic people at every sector of the country and in this regard this congregation is playing a significant role,” Imran added.

Tight security

For maintaining law and order in the site and ensuring safety to the devotees, huge number law enforcers were deployed at different points.

Eight control rooms, 14 watch towers for police and 10 watch towers for elite force RAB [Rapid Action Battalion] were set up to monitor whole congregation venue.

“Under the supervision of the city corporation, 400 temporary toilets have been made while supply of pure drinking water has also been ensured,” Khalilur Rahman, in-charge of a control room, told Anadolu Agency.

Meanwhile, five devotees were reportedly died due to old age complication in second phase of the congregation while the death tolls in the first phase, held in Jan. 10-12, recorded as 13. 

The second phase of the 55th congregation wrapped up on January 19 with a long concluding prayer called ‘Akheri Munajat’.

Tablighi Jamaat has been organizing their largest congregation in Bangladesh on the banks of river Turag since 1967 and the assembly in two phases was first launched in 2011 in the wave of overcrowd and conflicts between two top leaders of the movement that founded in 1927 by noted Islamic scholar Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi at the Mewat province in India. [Source: Anadolu Agency]