Charminar: Juma'tul Wida prayers remain low-key fete

Charminar: With surge in Covid-19 cases Juma'tul Wida (last Friday of Ramzan) was observed a low-key fete and no public meeting was held at the historic Mecca Masjid.

This is the second time amidst the pandemic that AIMIM party is not delivering Jalsa-e-Youmul-Quran on Juma'tul Wida at Mecca Masjid. Prayers were held with a limited number of devotees following Covid restriction. However AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi held Jalsa-e-Youmul-Quran online at Darussalam.

The Juma'tul Wida is observed with religious solemnity. Every year during Ramzan, the last Friday is celebrated with pomp as several hundreds of Muslims gather in mosques to pray but this year, due to the surge in Coronavirus cases it was observed in a low-key fete. Unlike normal days, there were no arrangements outside the masjid for the last Juma prayers.

Until 2019 Juma'tul Wida used to witness large crowds who would wait to see All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi speak on various issues, including religious, social, and political in nature. A large number of the several thousands of Friday prayer congregants, who usually spill on to the streets, stay back for the public meeting.

According to the senior party leader, the Youm-ul-Quran public meeting began in 1960 by Abdul Wahed Owaisi, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi's grandfather. "After his passing, Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, father of AIMIM chief, took over and continued the tradition.

It is held on the first and fourth Friday in the Mecca Masjid. The AIMIM did not break the tradition, and now Youm-ul-Quran was addressed second time on social media and speeches streamed on Facebook and Twitter etc," added the party leader.