Ilyas Shaikh, 32, a Mumbra resident, placed an order for 50 plates of chicken korma and rice on Friday. Shaikh, however, did not order it for a social function but to treat students at the local madrassa. Individuals and organisations from the Muslim community engaged in charity on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad. “The teachings of Prophet Mohammad tell us to help others, which is why I make it a point to engage in charity in some way,” said Shaikh, who is a teacher.

Members of various Muslim organisations visited patients at several city hospitals and offered them sweets and biscuits.

“It was a good gesture and the patients were extremely touched,” said Dr Nitin Mokashi, superintendent, Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Bhiwandi.
Several groups, such as Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), the Students Islamic Organisation and the Sunni Dawat-e-Islami also visited hospitals across the city.

Apart from charity, several individuals took up the task of spreading the teachings of the Prophet. Mira Road resident Abdul Waheed gifted books about the Prophet’s life to about 40 of his non-Muslim friends.

JIH set up book stalls at several locations in the city, outside some railway stations and college campuses. “Our main purpose was to spread the true image of the Prophet, particularly in the light of a movie released last year that tried to malign him,” said Feroz Patel, media coordinator, JIH.