On Friday morning, the first phase of Bishwa Ijtema, the second-largest gathering of Muslims in the world, got under way in Tongi, a small village outside the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.
The second part will take place from January 20 to 22, while the three-day congregation will end on January 15.
The first phase of Ijtema is being attended by members of the tablig group led by Zubair Hassan, while the second phase will be attended by members of the group led by Muhammad Saad Al Kandhalvi.
After the Fajr prayers, Pakistani Islamic scholar Maulana Ziaul Haque delivered the opening a’mbayan (general discourses) of the 56th iteration of the yearly Biswa Ijtema (World Congregation).
Numerous followers flocked to the bank of Turag from all over the world, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Chad, Turkey, Afghanistan, Palestine, the UK, and the United States, to hear scholars recite and explain verses from the Quran and to reaffirm their commitment to Islamic principles.
The greatest Jumah prayers in the nation will be held at the Ijtema grounds in the afternoon, under the direction of Maulana Hafez Zobair Ahmad, head of a division of the Tabligh Jamaat.
On Tuesday, the venue began to fill up, and by Wednesday night, the entire space—which covered more than a square kilometer—was occupied.
An administrative team lead by an executive magistrate was patrolling Tongi’s various neighborhoods, according to Gazipur deputy commissioner Anisur Rahman, to handle any emergencies.
According to Molla Nazrul Islam, the commissioner of the Gazipur Metropolitan Police, rigorous precautions were taken by the government to preserve law and order during Ijtema.
More than 10,000 law enforcement officers, including members of specialized squads such dog squads, bomb disposal units, helicopter patrol, and observation teams, will be on duty during the Ijtema’s two parts. 14 control rooms would be used to teach them, he said.
The manager of Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master Medical College and General Hospital stated that five medical camps had been put up to offer the visitors free medical attention.
To ease the strain on the venue and to ensure better management and security, the Tabligh Jamaat leadership divided the 64 districts’ participation in the Ijtema into two phases in 2011.
However, the Ijtema was divided into two halves depending on the support of the faction leaders because of a dispute in December 2018 between the supporters of two factions over the nomination of the World Tabligh Jamaat’s chief.
The Ijtema has been held there since 1967 thanks to Tabligh Jamaat.
