AS the blazing sun starts descending to mark the end of the 20th day of Ramazan, groups of men carrying bags, blankets and mattresses — walking, or alighting from motorbikes and other vehicles — are headed towards one corner of Islamabad’s Margalla hills: the majestic Faisal Mosque.

They climb up the marble stairs of the landmark, with its four tall minarets topped with gold crescents. The point of the central rise boasts the same emblem, this one prepared by the famous sculptor Gul Jee. It has the same majesty as it did four decades ago when it was installed.

The men keep pouring in and then mingling in the long corridors and the sprawling hall. Most of these people have come from Islamabad and its suburban areas, but there are others from faraway cities and towns, too. They are all here to perform the Sunnah of aitekaaf at Faisal Mosque. Here, they will spend the last 10 days of Ramazan, devoting their time to prayer, and reading the holy Quran and other religious texts.

Past the stairs, they go through the security checks and enter the mosque’s grand hall, resplendent with its red carpet. Three sides of this hall are arrayed with rows of mattresses where the devotees have placed their pillows — or bags to be used as pillows — to sleep when they are not praying.

Some time after iftar, a scholar delivers a sermon from the podium, stressing that Muslims should try to sort out their differences amicably and mediate if two Muslims fight each other. Then, the taraveeh start and everybody rushes to join in the prayer.

The Sunnah of aitekaaf can be performed in any mosque but this is one of the favoured places. To be accommodated here, one has to file an application with the Dawah Academy of the International Islamic University (IIU), which takes care of religious affairs at the mosque. This has to be done a month before Ramazan as thousands of people apply to achieve this honour.

A jury of senior Dawah Academy officials finalises the names of the lucky devotees after a scrutiny. The academy charges each participant a fee of Rs4,500 and provides them food for sehri and iftar, as well as fans with which to beat the heat.

“It’s more respectable to perform aitekaaf in a grand masjid like Faisal Mosque,” says Usman Ahmed, 40, who has come from Kahuta. “I think you get more rewards when you are part of the prayers at such a major place. Plus, more facilities are available here than in my village mosque — or, for that matter, any other mosque.”

Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, an official of the Dawah Academy, says people come from across the country and around the world to perform aitekaaf here. “People have come here from everywhere. Those who come to celebrate Eid in Islamabad try in particular to avail of this opportunity,” he says. “Last year, some people came from Canada for this purpose. This year, we have selected more than 1,200 people from all over.”

The Dawah Academy also selects 30 superlative Qaris from all over Pakistan to recite the Quran at the mosque, each dedicated to one chapter. Renowned scholars, especially those from the academy, come to the mosque to deliver lectures.

“I have come here to learn more about Islam because I was told by friends that aitekaaf here is full of knowledge,” says Ali Akbar, 60, an employee at the GHQ in Rawalpindi. “One gets the maximum benefit out of the ten-day stay here.”

Fazal Khan, 65, who lives in a village near Rawalpindi and has performed aitekaaf at Faisal Mosque 10 times, says he comes here because everything is properly organised. “If I sit in my village mosque, nobody will be there to bring me a meal for sehri,” he explains. “Here, I don’t have to worry about anything but prayer.”

But for Muhammad Zareef, who has come from Islamabad’s Ghauri town, the food provided by the Faisal Mosque administration is insufficient and not up to the mark. “There were only a few things for iftar and the tea was not just too sweet but of substandard quality,” he says. “There are many patients of diabetes amongst us, and senior citizens. We have paid for the food so its standard must be raised.”

Bukhari, the Dawah Academy official, concedes that it is administratively not possible to cater to the separate needs of every person. “We cook food on a large scale, it is not possible to provide individual meals,” he says. “Anyone who has any issues can buy food from the stalls outside.”

As the recitation from the holy Quran casts a spell, up to 80 policemen stand in rows outside the mosque to protect the people. With larger congregations during this month can come threats to security. The specially installed lights at the bases of the minarets and in its yards add to the splendour of a place where devotees perform their prayers, and policemen their duties.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2017