Thousands of devotees have attended the Eid prayer service at the National Eidgah premises amid renewed pandemic restrictions and an upswing in COVID-19 cases.
The main prayer service for the congregation was held at 8 am on Sunday, led by Senior Imam Hafez Mufti Maulana Mizanur Rahman of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, reports bdnews24.com.
People of all ages, from children to the elderly, took part in the service. It was also attended by people of all backgrounds and professions, including members of the Cabinet, members of parliament, politicians, diplomats, lawyers and journalists.
After the initial service, the attendees prayed for forgiveness for their mistakes, an end to the pandemic, relief from natural disasters and the welfare of the nation.
Prayers were also said for world peace, for the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family, the four National Leaders, and the brave freedom fighters of the 1971 Liberation War.
The prayers ended with calls for the country’s development and for the health and longevity of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family.
The Eid-ul-Azha prayer congregation at the National Eidgah is being held after two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But health restrictions are still in force due to an upswing in cases in recent weeks.
The Dhaka South City Corporation arranged for nearly 35,000 people to attend the congregation at the National Eidgah near the Supreme Court on Eid day.
Law enforcers were deployed in the area to provide security. They were also tasked with ensuring that health restrictions were followed.
Prayers are also being offered at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. The first congregation, led by the mosque’s Senior Imam Hafez Mufti Maulana Mizanur Rahman, started at 7 am.
The four other congregations are scheduled for 8 am, 9 am, 10 am and 10:45 am.
President Md Abdul Hamid has conveyed his sincere greetings and congratulations to all Muslims across the world on Eid-ul-Azha.
“Eid-ul-Azha is a shining example of the glory of deep devotion to the Almighty and supreme sacrifice,” he said in a statement.
The president said that Prophet Ibrahim set an example of unconditional love, unwavering obedience and infinite self-sacrifice by preparing to sacrifice his son Ishmael at the behest of Allah.
“It instils in us the spirit of self-sacrifice and giving, teaching us the lessons of sharing our happiness with our family and our neighbours.”
Hasina, in a video message, wished everyone a joyous Eid and said this spirit of sacrifice should be used as an inspiration.
“Eid-ul-Azha means the festival of sacrifice. Let us be inspired by the glory of sacrifice and devote ourselves to the welfare of the country and its people," she said.
Eid-ul-Azha is the second biggest festival for Muslims and is traditionally celebrated on the tenth day of Zil Hajj, the final month in the Arabic calendar. Muslims sacrifice animals to mark the day.
A three-day public holiday surrounding the occasion began on Jul 9.
Holidaymakers left Dhaka in droves in the past few days to get home and celebrate the festival with their loved ones.
The coronavirus pandemic has cast a pall over the festival in recent times, and this year, it's a combination of inflation, floods and a global energy crisis, fuelled by the war in Ukraine.
As a result, many are scaling back their plans for Eid, while the floods submerging the country's north have also taken the shine off the festival for others.