Hyderabad, January 25: It is that time of the year when the entire Purana Shaher is enveloped by the colour green as Muslims in the City gear up to celebrate Milad-un-Nabi. Enter Old City and every by-lane is dotted with green flags and decorative lights with fliers and posters floating around.
The festival is celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety. The day is marked with processions, public meetings and feeding of the poor. However, locals say that with various sects and schools mushrooming in Hyderabad, the way of celebrating has also changed.
Lost traditions
“We believe in celebrating the festival in a simple way. The Prophet(PBUH), who lived a simple life, did not encourage huge celebrations. However, these days, more than practising the religion, expressing it has increased. Earlier, Milad-Un-Nabi used to be a low-key affair with only small processions being taken out. However, with various political parties pitching in, the festival is now celebrated on a grand scale. There used to be about 50 to 100 people in each procession earlier. But now the number is over 20,000,” said Mohammed Asif Khan, who runs a family business selling Kashmiri apparel in Old City.
Like every year, thousands of people will participate in the Milad-un-Nabi celebrations this time too. However, society elders believe that as per the Shariat (the body of doctrines that regulate the lives of those who practice Islam), only festivities that do not harm others can be carried out.
Many have a different view about how Milad-un-Nabi should be celebrated since the Prophet’s (PBUH) birth and death occurred on the same day; people should neither celebrate nor mourn on this day.
Celebration of faith
Every year, the celebration begins at dusk when devotees assemble to offer prayers. Mosques, community halls and other places of worship turn into public venues to gather and recall the preachings of the Prophet(PBUH). Importance of the Prophet’s(PBUH) birth and his teachings are highlighted by Aalims (learned persons).
The biggest procession of the day starts from the Mecca Masjid once the morning prayers are over. After going around Old City, it culminates in a huge public meeting at the Moghalpura playground. Thousands of people participate in the central procession, while smaller processions will continue throughout the day.
------Agencies