Bishwa Ijtema

Bishwa Ijtema

The huge Ijtema tent on the banks of the River Turag near Dhaka
Native name	বিশ্ব ইজতেমা
English name	'Global congregation'
Date	1969 (1969) to present
Venue	Bishwa Ijtema Ground, Tongi, Gazipur, Bangladesh
Also known as	Tablighi Ijtema تبلیغی اجتماع Ālmi Ijtema عالمی اجتماع (If organised worldwide)
Cause	To congregate the followers of Tablighi Jamaat annually Islamic revivalism
Patron(s)	Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi
Organised by	Tablighi Jamaat and other associated muslim organisations and madrassahs with the help of the Government of Bangladesh

Islam in Bangladesh
History Muslim conquest Islamic rule Bengal Sultanate Bengal Subah Anjuman-i-Ulama-i-Bangala
Culture Architecture Bangladeshi Bengali Indo-Islamic Indo-Saracenic Mughal Literature Arabic Bengali Dobhashi Jangnama Kissa Marsiya Puthi Persian Urdu Music Ghazal Hamd Nashid Naat Qawwali Zari Zikir
Major figures Bakhtiyar Khalji Shah Jalal Khan Jahan Ali Shah Makhdum Titumir Shariatullah Karamat Ali Jaunpuri Sher-e-Bangla Siraji Nazrul Bhashani
Communities Bengali Muslims Dhakaiyas Kan Mahifarash Mahimal Nashya Shaikh Shershabadia Sylhetis Rohingyas Bihari Muslims Pangals
Ideology/schools of thought Ahl-i Hadith Barelvi/Rezvi Deobandi/Qawmi Fultali Maizbhandari Shia
Educational organizations Alia Madrasah Qawmi Madrasah Islamic University, Bangladesh International Islamic University Chittagong
Political parties Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan Islami Andolan Islami Front Islami Oikya Jote Jamaat-e-Islami Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Khelafat Majlish Muslim League Nizam-e-Islam Party Tariqat Federation
Influential bodies Anjuman Mufidul Islam Hefazat-e-Islam Islamic Foundation Bangladesh Tablighi Jamaat Tamaddun Majlish
Other topics Bishwa Ijtema Mosques in Bangladesh (Baitul Mukarram) Muslim nationalism in South Asia Muslim chronicles for Bangladeshi history Sufism in Bangladesh
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23°53′29″N 90°23′49″E / 23.8914722°N 90.3968637°E / 23.8914722; 90.3968637 The Bishwa Ijtema (Bengali: বিশ্ব ইজতেমা, lit. 'Global congregation') is an annual gathering of Muslims in Tongi, by the banks of the River Turag, in the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Ijtema is considered a demonstration of Muslim unity, solidarity, mutual love and respect and an opportunity to reiterate their commitment to Islamic values.^[1] It is the biggest festival by population in Bengali culture, one of the largest peaceful gatherings in the world, and the second-largest Muslim gathering, with 5 million adherents,^[2] after the Arba'een Pilgrimage's 15–20 million attendees in Iraq,^[3] both surpassing the 2–3 million worshipers who participate in the Hajj, considered to be one of the five pillars of Islam, in Saudi Arabia. Bishwa Ijtema is a modern event where Muslim participation is voluntary.^{[4][2][5][6][7]}

The Ijtema is a prayer meeting spread over three days, during which attending devotees perform daily prayers while listening to scholars reciting and explaining verses from the Quran, the central religious text. Speakers include Islamic scholars from various countries. It culminates in the Akheri Munajat (concluding supplication or final prayer), in which millions of devotees raise their hands and pray to Allah for world peace.^[5][8] Al-Quds Al-Arabi compared Ijtema with Kaaba to the poor people of the region.^[9]

The Ijtema is non-political, and draws people of all persuasions. It is attended by devotees from 150 countries.^[2] The majority of its devotees come from across Bangladesh, the world's third-largest Muslim majority country. Despite being larger than Hajj, the obligatory Muslim pilgrimage, the voluntary Bishwa Ijtema remains largely unknown and underreported in the West. During the Ijtema, free meals and accommodation are provided by volunteers.