More than 100,000 Muslim devotees gathered at the historic Hajiganj Grand Mosque in Chandpur on Friday to offer Jummatul Wida, the last Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan.

Many of the devotees said they began observing Ramadan on February 18, following the Middle East calendar, in around 40 villages of Chandpur, including the Sadra Pak Darbar Sharif area of Hajiganj. As a result, they marked Friday as the final Jummah of Ramadan.

Several devotees said they joined the prayer gathering as they might not get another opportunity next year. Others noted that if Eid falls next Friday, they would not be able to observe Jummatul Wida then.

On-the-spot visits showed that from early Friday morning thousands of devotees from different parts of Chandpur and nearby districts started gathering at the mosque. By around 11 am, the mosque’s first and second floors, its courtyard and surrounding areas were packed.

With the mosque and its grounds overflowing, prayer rows extended onto the Chandpur–Cumilla regional highway, stretching from Station Road to the large bridge at Hajiganj East Bazar. Vehicular movement on the highway remained suspended for nearly an hour during the prayers.

To accommodate the large number of worshippers, mosque authorities arranged prayer facilities in nearby areas including the mosque field, the grounds and buildings of Ahmadiya Alia Madrasa, Jameya Ahmadiya Qawmi Madrasa, Hajiganj Tower, Rajanigandha Market, Hajiganj Plaza, Business Park, Prime Bank building and the former municipal building.

Children and teenagers joined the prayers with their guardians, while many female worshippers also participated.

Special prayers were offered after the congregation seeking peace and wellbeing for the country, the Muslim Ummah, and Muslims in Palestine and Iran.

The prayers, along with the sermon and prayers, were led by the mosque’s khatib Mufti Abdur Rauf. Many devotees later remained inside the mosque observing Itikaf, spending time in recitation of the Holy Quran and remembrance of Allah.

Several worshippers, including Tipu Sultan Jamadar, Kalimullah and Habibur Rahman, said they attend the Jummatul Wida prayers at the mosque every year, adding that thousands of devotees come from different parts of the country to join the congregation.

Mosque Mutawalli Shakil Ahmed Prince said more than 100,000 worshippers took part in the prayers this year. Every year we organise a large congregation for Jummatul Wida, and the number of worshippers continues to grow. This year special arrangements and security measures were taken to ensure a smooth and orderly prayer, he said.