JOIN USThousands of Muslims including Islamic scholars and intellectuals drawn from across the globe are attending the three-day congregation, the third biggest after the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and a meeting in angladesh.
The Ijtema began with the morning prayer in which participants offered special prayers in the name of Allah for the well-being of the community, peace and harmony in the country and in the world, a spokesman for the Organising Committee said.
During the Ijtema Islamic shcolars including Maulana Zubair-ul-Hasan (Hazrat ji), Maulana Saad, Maulana Ahmad Laat, Maulana Nadir Ali and many others will deliver sermons on the life and practices of Prophet Mohammad, the teaching of "Quraan" and on the Islamic Shariat (Law).
The Ijtema was held annually at the historic Tajul Masajid in Bhopal since 1949, but for the last five years it has been shifted to Ghasipura about 11 KM from here due to the increasing number of Jamaats (groups).
Organising committee members Atiqul Isam and Ausaf Shahmiri Khurram told PTI that about 25 countries are expected to join the Ijtema of which 10 including Russia, Combodia, Thiland, Indonesia, Malaysia, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Panama and Afghanistan have already reached here.
They said that huge tents were erected in the area of hundreds of acres of land at Eintkheri and about five hundred hotels were booked for the jamaats of India and abroad.
The Indian Railways has also opened reservation counter at the Ijtema site and medical camps and fire brigade have also been established to meet any emergency.
Police have made special security arrangements for providing safety and security to the Ijtema participants and SAF, RAF and GRP and other companies of armed forces have been deployed at the Ijtem site, Railway Station and enrout to Ijtema to ensure peace and security.
Organisers said that the Chief Minister himself visited the site yesterday and took stock of arrangements at the Ijtema site.
For security purposes, several watch towers have also been errected at various locations at the venue to ensure basic facilities and amenities for the participants.