ABU DHABI // Thousands of people travelled to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque early on Monday for Eid Al Fitr prayers, marking the end of Ramadan and the start of the month of Shawwal.
It was a festive mood at the mosque as people greeted friends and family, taking photos as mementoes. They started arriving from all directions for fajr, the pre-dawn prayers.
After prayers children in colourful clothes rushed from one corner of the mosque to another, playing and posing for photos.
Many visitors from GCC countries had come to perform Eid prayers with their entire families.
Ahmed Al Ghamidi, from Saudi Arabia, brought his family to the UAE six days ago.
“The grand mosque is very beautiful. I loved the place,” Mr Al Ghamidi said. “I spent already six days in Abu Dhabi and we are going to spend another week in Dubai.”
His son Nayef, 17, was excited to celebrate Eid at the mosque.
“We came to mark Eid Al Fitr here. I heard about it so I wanted to witness its beauty,” Nayef said.
Some of the devout stayed awake all night to make sure they would not miss the 6.15am prayers. Others slept for only a few hours.
Roads leading to the mosque were jammed and Abu Dhabi traffic police were on site. The mosque, which can accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers, was full.
Separate prayer areas were set aside for women.
Adil Hafiz, 55, an Egyptian, has performed most of his taraweeh prayers at the mosque.
“I love this mosque so I very frequently come here for prayers,” Mr Hafiz said. “In the past five years of my stay here I always perform Eid here.”
He was at the mosque with his family, including his children.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, offered Eid prayers there on Monday.
He was joined by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy prime minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy prime minister and Minister of Interior; and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
They were joined by other members of the royal family, ministers and many sheikhs.
After prayers, Sheikh Mohammed and other dignitaries visited the tomb of his father, Sheikh Zayed, and prayed for him.
Solminda Basali, 32, travelled from the Philippines to spend Ramadan in the capital.
“This is my second trip to the Emirates, as well as praying at this mosque,” Mrs Basali said.
“My husband works here but this time I would like to stay and work here too, as I like the city too much.”
Her husband Basheir, 34, who has lived in the UAE since 2007, echoed her views. “I reached here very early in the morning to catch prayers and I always pray Eid here,” he said. “I feel very delighted praying here.”
Meanwhile, the imam of the Grand Mosque recited the Eid sermon after prayers and asked Muslims to observe the teachings of Ramadan.
He said worshippers should obey parents and elders, and shower kindness on their children.
“Always follow the right path defined by Allah and its Prophet, Mohammed, peace be upon him.”
He urged Muslims to pay Zakat Al Fitr and help the poor.
In Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, performed prayers at Sheikh Rashid Mosque in Zabeel, the state news agency Wam reported.
He was joined by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai; Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance; and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, among other dignitaries.
The imam at Sheikh Rashid Mosque called on Muslims to thank Allah for glories He endowed upon them in the holy month. He thanked the UAE leadership for its humanitarian and religious initiatives to ease suffering of the world’s needy.
Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, performed Eid prayers at Al Badea Musalla and later received well wishers at Al Badea Al Amer Palace.
anwar@thenational.ae
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
