The Holy month of Ramadan and all the hustle and bustle of this month is all about to end.
Abdul Wajid a 27-year-old from UP has been leading the Jumaah prayers in open grounds in Gurgaon for past four years but it was only recently in the month of May where radical Hindu outfits protested against the congregation held for prayers in these areas, Indian Express reported.
Living in a single room in Lane No.50 of Gurgaon’s Basai village, Wajid daily walks reaching an open ground which is located at 500 meters down the road where on his arrival the settlement occupants start unfolding the mats and sheets clearing the ground for the prayers.
A tempo also arrives at the location unloading drums filled with water. And as the call for prayer begins around 12.30, people begin to arrive most of them are labourers, autorickshaw drivers, shopkeepers, and employees of the private sector, all gathering in one place to offer their prayers.
Now, this is what is quite common in these congregations across the globe where a lower class man is equal to an upper-classman, all standing together, as equals to offer their prayers.
It was in the month of May when Hindu radical outfits protested against praying in the open following which the Government has allotted only 23 places out of 100 places for Friday prayers ever since May 10.
Though the Jummah prayers are completed by 2 pm, Wajid stays behind until the area is cleared again with the folding of the mats and sheets.
On Fridays, Wajid eats his lunch with residents of these slum-dwellers who are usually migrants from UP state but during Ramadan most of the dwellers are seen fasting or are thoughtful about people who are fasting.
Wajid hails from UP’s Bareilly completed his Madrassa education in 2009 and ever since then he is been conducting prayers at Masjid. In the year 2014, Wajid moved from his hometown and moved to Gurgaon.
He says “I was always clear that I wanted to help people, help them gain an understanding of what is right and what is wrong,” hence started conducting prayers here.
He is paid an amount of Rs 10,000 for conducting prayers by the Muslim committee. He offers five times prayers and speaking of Ramadan he said: “The Jumu’ah usually sees hundreds of people, but the number reaches over a thousand during Ramzan.”
Waking up at 3 in the morning, he begins his day by offering the first namaz of the day around 4 am and returns two hours later.
Then again around 11 am he leaves for the second prayer of the day and repeats the same for the remaining three prayers. “It is between 3 pm and 5 pm that I catch up on my studies,” he says.
“After the evening prayers, around 6 pm, I usually take Urdu and Arabic classes for children for two hours, with a break to read the namaz. I teach around 35 students in two batches,” says Wajid.
He returns home around 9 pm, after completing the fifth and final prayer of the day and joins the slum-dwellers for their dinner.
There have been protests over the prayers offered in the open in the past month. “Both groups have been cooperating with the administration so far. We are open to discussions but will not compromise on peace and order in the city,” says Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh.
Though Wajid says it was not his congregation that faced protests, it did an impact on his congregation as well. It has left people with “a certain amount of uncertainty”.
Wajid says, “The biggest issue in Gurgaon is lack of masjids. The ones that exist are either not maintained well or are far away. There is no option but to conduct Friday prayers in the open.”
Moreover, the Waqf Board officials had recently confirmed that there are less than 30 worship places in Gurgaon while the Muslim population is around two to three lakhs.
Wajid says, “I have never seen this kind of discord in Gurgaon over something as peaceful as prayers. We are not doing anything wrong, and people should understand that. Hamara mazhab bhi hamein desh ki hifazat karne ko kehta hai, watan se mohabbat karna sikhata hai (Our religion too asks us to protect our country, love our country).”
Speaking of how Aadhar was mandatory for availing government schemes he advises the slum-dwellers to have it done as soon as people.
“If we don’t get proper identification documents, it not only complicates our lives but also gives people a chance to disgrace Islam needlessly. It is our responsibility to make sure we do not give people that opportunity,” Wajid said.