Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with religious fervour at Idgahs across the district on Monday. Piran Kaliyar Sharif Dargah in Roorkee was tastefully decorated on the occasion where thousands of devotees thronged to offer prayer.   However, there was confusion over the date of the celebration of the festival. While the Sunni community celebrated it on June 26 the Shia community had done the same on June 25 after the moon was sighted.  In tune with the tradition of communal harmony, the holy city assumed a festive look with the people from other communities greeting their Muslim brothers on the pious occasion.

 Eid- ul-Fitr, which means the ‘festival of breaking the fast,’ marks the end of the rigorous fasting observed by the Muslims across the world for a month during which they abstain from eating or even drinking between dawn and dusk by way of showing their unwavering devotion to the God.

 Tens of thousands of people from the Sunni community offered ‘Namaz’ at the sprawling Idgah near the Paondhoi Idgah in Jwalapur on Monday morning while the Shia people performed Namaz at Idgah of Ahbab Nagar. Prayers were also organised at mosques located at Sector 1 BHEl and Katehra Bazar of Jwalapur. Children, mostly attired brightly in new dresses,  were seen embracing and greeting each other on the streets of Jwalapur where most of the Muslims reside. They enjoyed special delicacies prepared for the special occasion, including the traditional sweets ‘Sewain’ and ‘Sheerkorma’.

Speaking to The Pioneer, Mohammad Ansari from Mohalla Kassaban said, “We do lots of shopping during the pious season of Ramadan.  It is written in our holy book that strict fasting must be followed with feasting.”

On the auspicious day, most of the Muslims wake up before sunrise, eat dates or whatever sweetmeats are available for breakfast and then visit the  mosques to offer  special prayers. While the Eid Namaz was performed at the Jama Masjid in Jwalapur at 8. 30 am it was performed. at Badi Idgah at 10 am as announced by Naeem Quereshi, the secretary of Idgah committee.

Quereshi said that the month of Ramadan or Ramzan as it is commonly called is the month of forgiveness. “Everyone gets a chance to get one’s sins pardoned. We pray for the prosperity of the state and the country on Eid-ul-Fitr. In their sermons, the religious scholars highlight the significance and philosophy of Eid-ul- Fitr and the need to share its joys with the poor,” he added.

A devout Muslim lady Moneeza from Subhash Nagar said, “Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated on the 1st day of Shawwal, the month succeeding Ramadan. “This festival marks  the youngsters receiving ‘idi’ (gift items) from the elders. The people greet one another ‘Id Mubarak’ and exchange sweets aside from offering ‘Zakat’ (alms) to the poor,” she said.

Meanwhile, on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, a rush was witnessed at the main shopping centres with the women along with their children thronging them to do the festival shopping. Aside from garments, glass bangles, artificial jewellery and artefacts were on sale. Muslim women were seen getting henna designed on their hands in Jwalapur as part of the age-old tradition.

At the Eid congregations, special prayers were offered for the progress, prosperity, development, security and stability of the country. As many as 10,000 people gathered at Paondhoi Idgah amidst tight security. The SSP of Haridwar Rajeev Krishna Kumar V K  said, “Ample arrangements have been made to ensure a peaceful   Eid celebration. Regular patrolling is being done. Besides, we are seeing to it that traffic runs smoothly  at the crossings leading to the mosques.”