Srinagar, Mar 13: Juma’atul Vida, the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, was observed across Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, with thousands of devotees thronging mosques and shrines to offer special congregational prayers.
The largest gathering was witnessed at the Hazratbal Shrine on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar, where officials said around 80,000 devotees offered prayers. Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah was also among those who participated in the prayers at the shrine.
Similar gatherings were reported from various district and town headquarters across the Kashmir Valley, where devotees assembled in large numbers for the special Alvida prayers.
Although there is a possibility of another Friday during the ongoing fasting month, Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir Nasir-ul-Islam on Thursday said that Juma’atul Vida would be observed this week.
He said Eid-ul-Fitr is likely to fall on March 20 (Friday) or March 21 (Saturday) depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. “After consulting other scholars, it was decided to observe Juma’atul Vida on March 13,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir government declared a public holiday on Friday to mark the occasion. An order in this regard was issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) on Thursday. (Agencies)
