Worshippers throng mosques in Malegaon for Jumat-ul-Veda

Hundreds of thousands of devotees thronged over 200 mosques in Malegaon to offer Friday prayers on Jumat-ul-veda, the last Friday of Ramadan. Imams in different mosques of the powerloom city prayed for peace and prosperity.
Amid cries of ‘Aa’meen’, the Imams also prayed for a good monsoon that has been delayed after brief showers in the first ten days of June.Although the mosques in the city saw numerous worshippers, the biggest congregation of the community was at the Jam-e-Masjid Malegaon. Here, worshippers offered prayers on the road after the central mosque of the city was full to its capacity.
Masjid Ahl-e-Hadees in the Fort area was among the few mosques in the city where women worshippers also participated in the special Friday prayers. “The Jumat-ul-Veda coincided with a rare Friday which fell on the 29th day of Ramadan. This evening, the community in Malegaon, and elsewhere in the country, will look for the new moon to decide if the Eid al Fitr will be celebrated on Saturday,” said Rifah Midhat, a student of Islamic studies. “A new month in the Islamic Calendar begins with sighting of the crescent. If the moon is sighted on the 29th day, the next day is counted as the first day of the new month. Else, the next day is treated as the 30th day of the ongoing month, and the new month begins after that”, she added.
Meanwhile, additional superintendent of police (ASP), Malegaon, Sunil Kadasane celebrated the day with a difference. He organised an Iftar program solely for the women folks who are observing the fast.
“The aim of the program was twofold: to build a bond of mutual trust between the women and local police and to provide the women a platform to experience an Iftar program, which is normally organised for men,” Kadasane said.
Women from different walks of life, including girl students from local schools, participated in the program. “It was a unique program where we got an opportunity to meet female police officers and personnel in person. We also enjoyed the hospitality of the local police department,” said Fahmeeda Latif, a school teacher.