Eid celebrated with gaiety in Kerala

The Muslim festival of scarifice called Bakrid was celebrated all over Kerala on Monday.
Muslims gathered in mosques and special prayer centres to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha. Soon after the morning prayers, thousands of devotees sacrificed goats and other animals. Meat was also donated to the poor in the spirit of sacrifice and giving that the festival symbolises.
The biggest crowds were seen in Malappuram district as well as in places such as Kozhikode and Kochi. Eid prayers were held at the Chandrasekharan Nair stadium and the Central stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Governor MOH Farooq participated in the prayers at the Chandrashekaran Nair stadium. Palayam Imam Jamaludhin Mankada led the prayers.
In Kochi prayers were held at Marine Drive and Kaloor stadium. Thousands, including women and children, took part in the prayers.
In Kozhikode, Wakf Board member Hussain Madavoor led the prayers. Collector P B Salim and other prominent personalities took part in the Eid prayers.
In Kannur, rains played spoil sport forcing prayers to be held indoors.
Superstar Mammootty, a devout Muslim, took a day off from films and was at his home in Kochi.
'I am all alone, my wife and children are in Chennai. This is one of the rare days I take a break from my profession. Today evening, I am leaving for Hyderabad to resume the shoot for my film 'The King and The Commissioner',' said Mammootty.
Eid-ul-Zuha is also known as the festival of sacrifice, when the Muslims sacrifice goats and other 'halal' animals commemorating Prophet Ibrahim's great act of faith many centuries ago.
The festival is to celebrate the strong faith of those devoted to Islam. It coincides with the Haj pilgrimage in Makkah and people offer prayers in mosques. The sacrificial meat is distributed after the Eid prayers among family members and friends.
Since Sunday evening there were huge crowds in markets, especially at mutton stalls, all across the state.
Muslims form 24 percent of the 3.2 crore population in the state.

2.5 million Muslims begin rites of Hajj pilgrimage

Dressed in white, over 2.5 million Muslims, including more than 1 lakh Indians today began the rites of Hajj pilgrimage as they left for Mount Arafat from Mecca, even as religious authorities asked pilgrims to avoid overcrowding at the Grand Mosque in the holy city. Pilgrims flooded the streets as they headed towards Mina, around five kilometres east of the holy mosque. Meanwhile, prominent Islamic scholars including Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh have asked pilgrims to
avoid performing all the compulsory prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in order to reduce overcrowding at the mosque. 'The whole Mecca is considered haram (sacred place) and the prayer at any Mecca mosque is equal in reward to praying

at the Haram (Grand) Mosque,' the scholars were quoted as saying by Arab News.

The reward for prayer at all mosques inside the haram area is greater than the prayers outside the haram.' The day is known as Tarwiah (Watering) Day, as pilgrims traditionally watered their sacrificial animals and stocked water for their trip to Mount Arafat, some 10 kilometres further on, where prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final Hajj sermon, hundreds of years ago. 'A total of 1,24,948 pilgrims have arrived from India. 1,24,882 are in Mecca and 3 pilgrims are in Madina. So far 435 flights have come from India,' Consulate General of India said. 'As of today 75 pilgrims have expired out of which 63
came through Hajj committee and 12 through private tour operators,' it yesterday. Saudi Arabia has stepped up preparation to avoid deadly stampedes that have marred the Hajj in the past, in which hundreds of pilgrims lost their lives. In January 2006, 364 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at the entrance to a bridge leading to the stoning site in Mina, outside Mecca, while 251 were trampled to death in 2004.