During the 15-minute munajat conducted by Maulana Jobayerul Hasan from New Delhi at the World Tablig Jamaat's 42nd annual gathering attended by more than two million devotees including some 4,000 foreigners from around 60 countries, thousands were moved to tears.

In his munajat in Urdu and Arabic, Maulana Jobayer called upon the Muslims to follow Islam in everyday life and dedicate them to establishing Islamic values in society. He also urged the Muslims to struggle hard to spread Islam all over the world.

The government deployed 22,000 law enforcers for security and provided adequate utility services for the devotees in the Ijtema.

President Iajuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Leader of the Opposition and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, senior ministers, state ministers, political leaders, diplomats of some Muslim countries, and high government officials took part in the munajat from separate stages specially erected for them.

As the area from Board Bazar in Gazipur to Azampur in Uttara turned into a human sea, the munajat was relayed to far-flung areas through loudspeakers.

Roads, sidewalks, open spaces, and rooftops of nearby houses and factory buildings were teeming with people. Some even perched on the branches of trees to participate in the munajat.

Most of the devotees who joined the Akheri Munajat had to walk several kilometres as the highway towards Tongi was virtually closed down to traffic movement from the airport on the south and Joydevpur crossing on the north since the morning.

Attendance in the government and private offices, mills and factories in Dhaka, Tongi and Gazipur was thin, as a large number of employees and officials left their workplaces to join the munajat.

President Iajuddin Ahmed offered munajat from the main stage, while the prime minister accompanied by the president's wife Prof Anwara Begum, ministers, and party leaders attended the munajat from a dais at the Bata Complex.

Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina together with the party leaders offered munajat on the rooftop of the Ashraf Textile Mills.

Five devotees, including a woman, reportedly died of cardiac arrest, old-age complications and other complications during the congregation, said state-run news agency BSS.

The law enforcers picked up 160 pickpockets, muggers, extortionists, and some petty criminals, and held 13 Myanmar Rohingyas in last three days from the ground.

Following the regular custom, solemnization of 119 marriages without dowry was held on Saturday this year.

The government arranged special trains, buses and river craft to transport devotees to their homes after the conclusion of the Ijtema.

But due to long traffic jam, thousands of devotees had to walk kilometres to get vehicles for return journey.