Holy Friday prayers were held at the Bishwa Ijtema Maidan on the banks of Turag in Tongi with the participation of lakhs of devotees.

At around noon, Friday prayers begin in large congregations. In addition to the Tablighi Jamaat followers, numerous followers from the capital Dhaka and surrounding areas participated in the prayers. So far, 2,150 foreign guests from 72 countries have come to the Ijtema Maidan. They are staying in designated areas and listening to the speeches of scholars from home and abroad.

Maulana Zubair Hossain from Bangladesh led the Friday prayers at this year's large congregation.

On Friday morning, thousands of devotees were seen gathering at the Tongi Ijtema ground and the banks of the Turag River on the occasion of the Ijtema. Among them, thousands of devotees are staying under the awnings made of bamboo and jute in the main Ijtema ground. Some of them are listening to the sermon. Some are busy cooking, doing ablution and bathing. Meanwhile, devotees from different parts of the country are entering the ground in groups. Some of them have multiple bags and pots on their heads, some on their shoulders, and some in their hands.

In the past years, the followers of the two sides of the Tablighi Jamaat, Maulana Jobair and Saad Kandhalvi, used to perform the Ijtema separately in two phases. However, this time, for the first time, the followers of Maulana Jobair will perform the Ijtema alone in two phases. The first phase of the Ijtema will be held today from January 31 to February 2. Devotees from 41 districts and a part of Dhaka will participate in this phase. Then, the second phase of the Ijtema will be held from February 3 to 5. The final prayers will be held on February 2 and 5 respectively. And from February 14 to 16, the followers of Maulana Saad are scheduled to hold Ijtema.

Habibullah Raihan, media coordinator of Maulana Jobayer's followers, said, "Since morning, a step-by-step presentation has been going on on various issues of Tablighi Jamaat. Our brothers are still coming from different parts of the country. People from the surrounding areas have already started coming to participate in the Friday prayers today."

Speaking at a press conference at the temporary RAB camp adjacent to the Ijtema ground yesterday afternoon, Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman said, "We have taken all necessary measures to ensure the overall security of the Ijtema." There is no security risk surrounding the Ijtema, except for the infighting between the two parties. Hopefully, the Ijtema will end beautifully.

This year's Bishwa Ijtema will be held in three phases. The first phase of the Bishwa Ijtema will begin on January 31 under the Bangladesh Tablighi Jamaat Shura-e-Nezam and will end with the final prayer on February 2. Then, the second phase will begin on February 3 and end with the final prayer on February 5. Saad followers will organize the third phase of Bishwa Ijtema on February 14 after a break of 8 days. The 2025 Bishwa Ijtema will end with the final prayer on Sunday, February 16. Later, Saad followers will hand over the ground to the administration after Maghrib on February 18.