All photos by Ray Toh
Hundreds of thousands of people convened for Eid Al Fitr prayers around Qatar early this morning, marking a solemn and unified moment before the festivities officially began around town.
At the iconic Qatar Faculty for Islamic Studies (QFIS) mosque in Education City, some people turned up at Fajr time (around 3am) and stayed until Eid prayers began two hours later.
Even though it was already hot, the sun was not yet beating down, so many chose to sit outdoors with the imam.
Meanwhile, as always, the State Mosque was full to the brim of worshippers:
Have a blessed #Eid #Doha. Let's not forget the less privileged & under challenging times. #Qatar prayed for you all pic.twitter.com/QQagqlK3BO
— Osama Bin Javaid (@osamabinjavaid) July 6, 2016
As was this one in the Old Airport area:
@dohanews @qatarliving Masjid Abu Hanifa Matar Qadeem.. pic.twitter.com/mfMwDfCOJK
— Big Sid B (@sidbawanyz) July 6, 2016
And the Emir, his father and several others performed Eid prayers at Wajbah Palace:
سمو الأمير وسمو الأمير الوالد يؤديان صلاة #عيد_الفطر المبارك مع أبناء شعبهما الوفي ..#قطر pic.twitter.com/Fhu8oaoz6A
— جابر الحرمي (@jaberalharmi) July 6, 2016
This Ramadan has been one of international turmoil, and on Monday there was a series of suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia, including in Medina and outside of a Shia mosque in Qatif.
In Qatar, authorities condemned the attacks and expressed their support of the country’s minority Shia community around Eid time:
#Qatar's PM and Interior Minister visited a Shia mosque. A sign of unity & that there's no room for sectarianism. pic.twitter.com/Veb6PlDgRy
— Reem Al-Harmi ريم الحرمي (@Reem_AlHarmi) July 5, 2016
Festivities
On a lighter note, now that prayers are over, many people in Qatar appear grateful simply to eat breakfast this morning (instead of in the middle of the night):
https://twitter.com/NurKhairDe/status/750528367477329920
Others have been exchanging well wishes with loved ones, either in person or on the phone:
https://twitter.com/FahadAlJufairi/status/750530038492192768
If you are looking for ways to enjoy Eid today and over the next few days, check out our comprehensive guide here.
Eid Mubarak! What are your plans?