COTABATO CITY — Inclement weather did not affect the Eid al-Fitr outdoor congregational worship rites in many areas in Central Mindanao on Monday.
The Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic Ramadan fasting, is an important holiday in Islam.
Muslims in Central Mindanao and in the five provinces in the Bangsamoro region prayed early Monday in open fields, guarded by soldiers, policemen and local executives, as part of the Eid al-Fitr festivity.
Brig. Gen. Romeo J. Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PRO-BARMM), and the commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID), Major Gen. Donald M. Gumiran, separately told reporters on Monday afternoon that the congregational prayers in areas under their jurisdiction were peaceful.
There were heavy downpours in parts of Central Mindanao and in the Bangsamoro region hours before the outdoor Eid al-Fitr prayers were held in designated sites, led by Islamic missionaries.
Thousands joined the congregational prayers, despite the drizzles that dampened the surroundings.
“All went well,” Mr. Gumiran said.
In separate statements, Mr. Gumiran and Mr. Macapaz had extended their Eid al-Fitr greetings to the Muslims in areas covered by the 6th ID and PRO-BARMM.
The Eid al-Fitr also marks the start of the month of Shawwal in the lunar-based Islamic Hijrah calendar.
Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan as a religious obligation and reparation for wrongdoings.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five fundamentals of the Islam faith, which include absolute belief in Allah, praying five times a day facing west, giving of zakat, or alms to the poor, and, for those who can afford the cost of travel, performing the hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia even just once in a lifetime. — John Felix M. Unson
