Waz Mahfil

Waz Mahfils are typically held in open spaces, such as playgrounds, paddy fields, street corners, or public grounds, and usually last from evening until midnight.

[4][5][6] Ibrahim Ali Tashna is regarded as the founder of Waz Mahfil (previously known as Islamic Jalsa) in the country.

The news of this new type of event spread quickly in Sylhet and Assam region as a result, Waz Mahfil started being organized in different places.

Waz Mahfil is usually held in tents erected in the open space, either in playgrounds or paddy fields after harvest in rural areas or at street corners and public grounds in cities, especially during winter.

The male congregation assembles on the ground in front of the stage, which is covered with mats made out of bamboo, cotton, or rarely, straw.

[8] The Waz Mahfil became popular in the late nineteenth century in the Bengal and played an effective medium of communication with the masses in rural areas.

He single-handedly transformed the nature of Waz Mahfil and gave it a socio-political significance in the 1980s and 1990s and through this medium helped popularize "political Islam" in Bangladesh.