Muslims observe Night of Destiny

The Quran was first communicated to Prophet Muhammad at this hour

The fragrance of ittar hangs in the air. Genial old men in spotless kurtas and flowing white beards sit at wooden desks.

Behind them, glass shelves groan under the weight of transparent vials containing dark oily liquids. One can hear the muezzin give the call for prayer.

Customers at these tiny perfumeries that dot Mohammed Ali Road quickly pay for their purchases, dab on some ittar and head straight to Minara Masjid.

On Tuesday, the city’s Muslim areas echoed with verses from the Quran recited all night long by devout Muslims. It was Lailat-ul-Qadr or Shab-e-Qadr — considered the holiest night during the month of Ramzan.

Lailat-ul-Qadr means the ‘Night of Destiny’ and marks the anniversary of the night that the Quran was first communicated to Prophet Muhammad.

With Eid-ul-Fitr just round the corner, Muslims from all over Mumbai are making a beeline for the huge open-air market that Mohammed Ali Road transforms into every Ramzan.

Here, one can buy everything from chikan kurtas, mirrored mojaris, colourful bangles and even cups, bowls and pans that are laid out meticulously at tiny pavement shops and temporary stalls.

“We come here every year for our Eid shopping,” says Parveen Sultana, who travels all the way from Thane to buy vermicilli and dry fruit for sheerkurma, a traditional Eid delicacy.

Then there are shops and carts piled high with henna, surma, jewellery, shoes and other accessories.

And though making one’s way through milling crowds and clogged traffic is an arduous task, many like Feroze Ahmed keep coming back just to ‘soak in the ambience.’

“No other place in the city decks itself up for Ramzan the way Mohammed Ali Road does,” says Feroze, who lives in Kurla.

Regulars estimate that around 5,000 people come to Mohammed Ali Road every evening during Ramzan.