Mangaluru, Jul 18: The chants of Takbeer reverberated in Mangaluru and other parts of coastal Karnataka on Saturday morning as thousands of Muslims offered Eid-ul-Fitr prayers braving heavy rains.
The festival of fast-breaking was celebrated with traditional gaiety and pomp as greetings of ‘Eid Mubarak’ and ‘Taqabbal allahu minna wa minkum’ (May Allah accept it from you and us) were exchanged with gentle handshakes and affectionate hugs.
Children, youth and elderly men embracing each other was a familiar sight in all the masjids, while Khateebs from the members of the mosques and Eid-gahs gave a clarion call to the Ummah to remain united in the face of adversities and strive to establish peace in the country.
Muslims in Mangaluru and surrounding areas woke up to a wet and windy morning, with the noise of rains pelting the roofs forcing many to change their Eid prayer plans at the last minute. Many had to opt for the nearby masjids for Eid prayers owing to inclement weather and lack of own transportation arrangements.
Even though Eid prayers were held in most of the masjids in the city, the traditional congregation at the Eidgah Masjid on Light House Hill remained the focal point of the day’s activities.
The Eid prayers and Qutba was performed under the leadership of Mangaluru Khazi Twaqa Ahmed Musliyar. “Ramadan was a month of training for all of us. We should continue living a virtuous life even after the holy month,” the Khazi said in his Eid message.
A large number of devotees had gathered at the historic Masjid braving the rains, but lack of protective shelter meant people had to offer Namaz getting drenched from head to toe. But compared to previous years the turnout at the Masjid was low as many devotees preferred to offer namaz in the mosques.
Masjidunnoor in Hampankatta, Taqwa Masjid in Pumpwell, Ibrahim Khaleel Masjid near State Bank, Jamia Masjid in Kudroli and Kachi Memon Masjid in Bunder were overcrowded with devotees. Eid prayers were also held at Central Juma Masjid in and Salsabeel Masjid in Ullal and Huda Masjid in Thokkottu.
In most of the Masjids, the devotees, after offering the Eid prayers, prayed for communal harmony and welfare of the country as well. They also prayed for the victims of violence and barbarism in Syria, Yemen and other parts of the world.
Donning new clothes, Muslims visited houses of their relatives, where they were treated with special sweet dishes. Platters of a variety of delicious cuisines were prepared in Muslim households.
A large number of women devotees also offered Eid prayer in some of the Masjids. “The number of women participating in Eid prayer has been continuously increasing in recent years thanks to the Islamic awakening in coastal Karnataka”, said a Muslim cleric.
Police have made elaborate security arrangements across the district to ensure peace and harmony during the festival.
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