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Fervent gathering marks prayer meet at Swalat Nagar

MALAPPURAM: Thousands of Sunni devotees who thronged the dozen-odd venues of Swalat Nagar near here on Monday enlivened the late-night hours, praying with supplicating hands raised towards heaven. The annual prayer meeting organised by the Ma’dinu Ssaquafathil Islamiyya turned the Swalat Nagar and its neighbourhood into a milky sea of humanity on the 27th eve of Ramzan.

The meeting saw a fervent gathering in anticipation of the Lailathul Qadr, the holiest night for Muslims. Lailathul Qadr is the night of decree or the night of power, about which the Quran has declared that it is better than a thousand months.

The organisers claimed that it was one of the largest Muslim congregations in the world in Ramzan. Hundreds of people from different parts of the State began to flow to Swalat Nagar from morning itself. By evening, all roads were blocked and the traffic along the Kozhikode-Palakkad National Highway was diverted from Valluvamburam and Manjeri.

At sunset, when the muezzin’s prayer call came from the minarets, many thousands at the Swalat Nagar broke their fast with Arabian dates. A silent prayer emerged on their lips soon: “Oh God, I fasted for you; and I broke the fast with your food.”

In less than two hours after sunset, the crowd began chanting the Haddad Ratheeb, a prayer combination of Swalat, Dikr and Tahleel, which is practised only by traditional and orthodox sections of Muslims. Soon followed the obligatory prayer Esha.

A young scholar who recited the Koran elegantly led the Taraveeh prayers, a 20-raka’t namaz observed only in the nights of Ramzan. People continued to pour in from places far and near. By the time the Taraveeh was over, the Ma’din grounds had begun to burst at the seams. Crowds began to swell as the obligatory prayers gave way for the special prayers. “O God, You are most forgiving and love those who forgive others. So bestow Your blessings on me and forgive me too.” This prayer rented the air much before the main event began at 9.30 p.m.

Haj Committee chairman A.K. Abdul Hameed welcomed the gathering.

Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A.P. Mohammed Musliar spoke on ‘prayer of salvation’.

Thajul Ulama Sayed Abdurahman Bukhari, president of the All India Jamiyyathul Ulama, inaugurated the congregation and led the Swalat Halqa. Sayed Ibrahim Khaleel Bukhari, chairman of the Ma’dinu Ssaquafathil Islamiyya, delivered the keynote address and led the final prayers.

The evening provided the believers an occasion to unburden themselves of the worries and tribulations of mundane life. With teary eyes and trembling voices, they supplicated forgiveness from God. The prayers reached a crescendo when the crowds wavered in spiritual ecstasy, chanting ‘there is no god but God’ hundreds of times. The choruses of ‘Allah Allah Allah’ rent the air as the prayers went on into the wee hours of Tuesday.

The Swalat Nagar reverberated in the cries of ‘Ameen’ as Khaleel Bukhari uttered the words of contrition. Thousands of food packets were distributed at the venue. Exclusive food counters for those who came from distant places were arranged.

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