Hyderabad: Eid-ul-Azha or Bakrid, the festival of sacrifice, was celebrated in the two Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana without much funfair. The usual enthusiasm was missing this year.
Special Eid prayers were offered at homes and some mosques and performances of “Qurbani” to commemorate the intended sacrifice of Hazrath Ibrahim marked the celebrations. The prayers offered by observing the physical distancing which imposed restricted entry of the faithful, and at their homes. All eidgahs and major mosques including the historic Mecca Masjid of Hyderabad city and the Royal mosque( Shahi masjid) in public gardens of the Assembly were closed in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many religious scholars and clerics extended bakrid greetings to Muslim brethren.
Joyous scenes were seen soon after the prayers with people greeted each other “Id Mubarak”.Tight security arrangements were made the police to ensure peaceful celebrations.
For the first time in the state of Telangana, the faithful were not keen on purchasing sacrificial animals to distribute parts of the sacrificed meat among their relatives and the poor, which is a feature of Bakrid. Many managements of the Mosques allowed the faithful after sanitizing their hands at the door of the Mosques.
Earlier the State Home Minister Mohammed Mehmood Ali had appealed to the general masses to perform the eid prayers in their homes and nearby mosques in their areas. The people had followed his advise and performed the Eid prayers at their homes and in the mosques of their areas. Minister also appealed to the public to maintain distance with the butchers at the time of sacrifice and during distributing the red meat.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao extended his greetings on the occasion. Leaders of several political outfits have also extended their Eid greetings to the Muslims on this occasion.
