Followers of Maulana Zubayer to leave Kakrail Mosque tomorrow as tension between Tablighi Jamaat groups deescalates
The development comes amid increasing tension between the followers of the two Tablighi Jamaat factions
The followers of Mohammed Zubair, imam of Kakrail Mosque, will give up control of the mosque to the followers of Delhi's Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi, the great-grandson of the Tablighi Jamat founder Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi.
The followers of Zubairul made the decision on the recommendation of "the elders" in a bid to deescalate the ongoing tension between the two major groups of Tablighi Jamaat in Bangladesh, according to Ulama Mashayekh Bangladesh, a platform of Qawmi madrasah leaders across the country.
"We are taking a peaceful stance. On the recommendations of the elders, we have decided to leave the Kakrail Mosque tomorrow morning. Followers of Saad will enter the mosque then," said Habibullah Rayhan, a follower of Zubair and coordinator of the Ulama Mashayekh's consultative council the Nezam-e-Shura, told The Business Standard today (14 November).
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The development comes amid increasing tension between the followers of the two Tablighi Jamaat factions, which also led to a huge rally by followers of Zubair under the banner of Ulama Mashayekh Bangladesh earlier this month in the capital.
Due to the long-standing dispute between supporters of Zubair and supporters of Saad, the groups have been taking turns to conduct their activities at the Kakrail Mosque. Each groups get to conduct their activities at the mosque for four weeks at a stretch. Currently, the follower of Zubair are in control of the mosque and their period is set to end tomorrow (15 November).
However, due to the recent tension between the groups, there was confusion about whether the supporters of Zubair would leave the mosque on time. Later, Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain and Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury met the leaders of both factions and asked them to resolve the situation.
In a press statement issued yesterday following the meeting, the Ulama Mashayekh Bangladesh said the advisers have promised to take initiatives to find a sustainable solution to resolve the dispute between the factions in April of next year.
"Everyone, on behalf of Ulama Mashayekh Bangladesh and Kakrail, agreed to cooperate with the current government to conduct activities at Kakrail Mosque till April 2025 as per the previous arrangement for the greater interest of the country," reads the statement.
