MALAPPURAM
The Madin Academy at Swalat Nagar near is geared up to host a mega prayer congregation on Thursday. The annual prayer meet, being held after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, is expected to pull a mammoth crowd on the eve of the 27 th day of Ramzan.
Madin Academy chairman Syed Ibrahim Khaleel Bukhari said that it would arguably be the biggest prayer gathering of Ramzan outside Makkah and Madina. He said Iftar arrangements were being made for at least one lakh people.
The annual swalat (prayer) programme will begin at 4 p.m. on Thursday, will continue into midnight and conclude by 3 a.m. on Friday. Mr. Bukhari said that elaborate arrangements were being made for the congregation, especially as it coincides with the eve of Friday on Ramzan 27.
“It is one of the most probable dates to anticipate Lailatul Qadir or the night of decree. Muslims seek Allah’s forgiveness by spending their time in prayers in anticipation of the Lailatul Qadir,” said Mr. Bukhari.
Muslims believe that in the month of Ramzan, there is one night that is better than a thousand months. That night is called Lailatul Qadir or the night of power or the night decree. But no one knows exactly when that night falls. Prophet Mohammed taught his followers that the Lailatul Qadir falls on one of the odd evenings in the last 10 days of Ramzan. Accordingly, people expect that night on the eves of Ramzan 21, 23, 25, 27 or 29.
It is considered the climax of Ramzan. The revelation of the Quran to Mohammed began and was completed on Lailatul Qadir.
Mr. Bukhari said that the congregation would take a pledge against terrorism, violence and drugs. “People should be made aware of the terrorist activities taking place all over the world. A pledge against terror and violence by such a large gathering of faithful has great relevance,” he said. Mr. Bukhari, who is also general secretary of the Kerala Muslim Jamat, will administer the pledge.
All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama general secretary and India’s Grand Mufti Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar will inaugurate the congregation. Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama president E. Sulaiman Musliar will preside over the event.
Madin officials said that the Iftar being held as part of the congregation would be the largest in the country. The district administration and the police have assured cooperation for the congregation. A volunteer group of 5,555 members will be in charge of crowd control. There will be free bus services to different places for people reaching for the prayer meet.
