Jamat Ul-Vida literally means a Friday of Fare well. This occurs in the month of the Ramzan. It is an extremely special day and a holy one which occurs every year before the Ramzan month comes to an end.
According to the Islamic tradition and history, it is the last Friday or Jumma bar before the holy month of Ramzan comes to an end, and for a devout Muslim it is an extremely auspicious day.
The word Jamat Ul-Vida etymolologically comes from the words Jumma meaning gathering and wida, which means farewell. Thus it signifies the last Friday where people gather to bid the holy month of Ramzan a farewell and also seek blessing for a peaceful life and year ahead.
History of Jamat Ul-Vida
According to Islamic history, Prophet Muhammad had said that Friday is the most blessed day amongst the whole week and thus anyone who spends the Friday engaged in worshipping Allah is protected throughout the entire week. Muslims believe that an angel enters the mosque and listens to the Friday Namaaz by the Imam. Thus it is mandatory to attend the early morning namaaz of Friday and also those who attend this religiously are forgiven off all their sins by Allah.
In 2013, the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad conducted the largest congregation. The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen organises the Quran Day meeting in the Mecca Masjid on this auspicious day.
How is the Jamat Ul-Vida celebrated?
On this holy day the Muslims all gather and congregate. They do not congregate for their usual mid-day prayer on this day. They all recite the Quran, which is their holy book throughout the day. This congregation is attended by all Muslim men, for Muslim women it is not mandatory. An evidence of this congregation is found in the verse 9 of chapter 62. The Jamat Ul-Vida is considered to be the second holiest day after the Eid-ul-Fitr in the month of Ramzan. It is firmly believed that those who worships Allah on a Friday, which is considered to be the holiest day of the week, receives his protection throughout the whole week. Devotees pray on this auspicious day and ask for Allah’s forgiveness for the sins they have committed.
On this holy day of Jamat Ul-Vida, people visit mosques, in their cleanest and best clothes, wearing a skullcap and pray to the almighty Allah to make the world a peaceful and nice place. They don their best clothes, only after having a cleansing bath in the morning. People on this day also pray for the departed souls for their peace in the afterlife. After they offer Namaaz on this holy day, people are said to realize their own selves better and it is also believed that on Jamat Ul-Vida prayers offered to Allah are accepted by him. On this holy day, people engage in a lot of charitable work, in the hope that these will help them in their future, as their good deeds will be rewarded. It is also a day when all the families get together and cook a hearty meal and eat together.
All around the mosques tents are erected to Accommodate devotees coming from afar to offer their prayers on this special day. Priests encourage the devotees to run their life as per the holy Quran.
Essentially on this day people are first required to forgive those people, who had wronged them, in order for Allah to forgive them for their sins. This auspicious day exhorts people to be good and do well.