Top Scholars Demand Ban on All Saad-Followers' Activities at Tongi Ground, Urge Government to Act

Ahead of the upcoming Bishwa Ijtema 2027, the country's leading Islamic scholars have demanded that the Saad followers not be allowed to conduct any kind of ijtema, dawah or tablighi activities at the Bishwa Ijtema ground in Tongi. They have called on the government to take necessary steps in this regard.

The demand was made at a press conference held after a consultation meeting at the Bishwa Ijtema ground in Tongi on Saturday (October 24). Top scholars and religious leaders from different parts of the country gathered at the ijtema ground for the meeting and press conference.

Presenting the decisions taken at the meeting, the scholars said the Saad followers should not be given the opportunity to conduct any kind of religious gathering or tablighi activity at the Bishwa Ijtema ground. They called on the government to take necessary measures in this regard ahead of the upcoming Bishwa Ijtema.

Following a dispute within the Tablighi Jamaat, the Bishwa Ijtema in Bangladesh has been held in two separate parts or at separate times since 2018. On one side are the followers of Maulana Saad (the Saad faction) and on the other are the followers of Maulana Zubair-ul-Hasan (the Zubair faction).

In the Bishwa Ijtema context, the Saad followers refer to the section of the Tablighi Jamaat that follows Maulana Mohammad Saad Kandhalvi, the elder of the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, India. This division is the root of the debate that has been at the centre of ijtema organisation for the past few years.

At the press conference, the scholars also said that if any attempt is made to put the government under any kind of unethical pressure on this issue, or to create disorder, strict programmes will be observed in their respective districts in accordance with the central decision from Dhaka. Through this warning, they conveyed a firm stance in favour of their demand.

Top scholars and religious leaders from different parts of the country took part in the meeting, presided over by Hefazat-e-Islam Amir Allama Muhibullah Babunagari. The presence of the Hefazat Amir in the chair added further weight to the meeting.

Present at the meeting were Maulana Abdul Quddus, Maulana Nurul Islam Olipuri, Hefazat-e-Islam Secretary General Maulana Sajidur Rahman, Maulana Abdul Hamid Madhupuri, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam President Maulana Ubaidullah Faruk and Befaq Secretary General Maulana Mahfuzul Haque.

Also present were Mufti Khizirullah of Hathazari, Maulana Ikram Hossain Wadudi, Maulana Salah Uddin, Maulana Hifzur Rahman, Mufti Arshad Rahman, Mufti Delawar Hossain, Maulana Rashidur Rahman Faruk, Maulana Abdul Awal and Mufti Mubarakullah, along with scholars and religious leaders from various districts. The joint presence of so many top scholars underlines a united stance behind the demand.

The Bishwa Ijtema is one of the largest religious gatherings in Bangladesh, attended by hundreds of thousands of devotees every year. With the 2027 ijtema ahead, the question of the use of the ground has therefore come to the fore again, and this demand has added a new dimension to that debate.

Following the scholars' demand, all eyes are now on the government — the situation in the coming days depends on what decision the government takes on the question of permission for the Saad followers' activities at the ijtema ground.

This demand and warning raised from the Tongi ground are expected to remain a major topic of discussion in the preparatory phase of Bishwa Ijtema 2027. The government's decision and the next positions of the two sides will determine which way the debate turns.