Several people in Karachi celebrated Eidul Azha on Tuesday, a day ahead of the rest of the country.
Clerics, belonging to Wahhabi school of thought, called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to develop consensus in the light of Islamic provisions on the issues that require “Ijtihad” (diligence) and cause division in the Muslims.
The issue of ‘ruet’ or moon-sighting, Kamal Hassan Usmani, a cleric believes, is one such issue.
While the PML-N-led government in Pakistan was able to get this year’s Eidul Fitr celebrated on the same day across the country, it could not replicate the same spirit in Eidul Azha.
Reportedly, Eid prayers were offered in Abbottabad, Mardan, Bannu and other districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is pre-dominantly inhibited by ethnic Pashtun.
Tuesday, however, also was the day of Eid for a number of people, mostly belonging to the Ahle Hadith school of thought, in Karachi. Individuals in city neighbourhoods such as Keamari, Landhi, Korangi, Pak Colony and Gulshan-e-Iqbal are said to have offered Eid prayers and slaughtered their animals.
“Certain practices in Islam are linked to the moon sighting. The celebration of Eids is one such practice,” said Zubair Abdur Rabbi, a trader, who celebrated Eid on Tuesday in Keamari’s Bhutta Village area.
Zubair, however, rejected the impression that he or other Ahle Hadith Muslims followed Saudi Arabia or any particular country to celebrate Eid festivals.
“The basis for celebrating Eids is not confined to a particular country or individual. It, rather, is linked to moon-sighting by oneself or a witness thereof,” he explained. “One should accept even if the witness (to sight the moon) comes from the United States,” claimed the trader.
Razaullah, the patron of a seminary in the same locality who too sacrificed his animal on Tuesday, came up with some hadiths supporting the view. He cited hadith number 2419 of Sunan-e-Abu Dawood, 773 of Sunan-e-Tirmizi and 1142 of Saheh Muslim, for ready reference of the critics.
The cleric said in the quoted Islamic provisions the word used was ‘Ahl-e-Islam” and not Ahl-e-Pakistan or Saudi Arabia or any other country.
Reminded that such were the divisive practices going against the concept of so-called Muslims, Razaullah said, “Since we Muslims don’t have unity globally the individual Muslims are free to practice the related but authentic provisions of Islam.”
Imranullah, a small businessman who confirmed Razaullah’s views but celebrated Eid with his countrymen, said Islam provided for the sacrifice of animals on the very next day of “Yom-e-Arafa”, which fell this year on Monday in Saudi Arabia.
“If anything at least Yom-e-Arafa cannot be two, since it was yesterday (Monday) today should be the day of Eid globally,” he argued.
Kamal Hassan Usmani said such divisive disputes warrant the states to reach a mutually-agreed understanding on the OIC level.
“The difference of opinion prevails between two schools of thought. And both have enough weight in their (respective) views. So you can’t declare the one side as wrong,” said Professor Usmani.
“The issue in fact is of ‘Ijtihadi’ nature requiring the governments of Muslim countries, which unfortunately are no more Islamic in their policy approach, to seek a consented solution,” suggested the professor.
Illustrating Saudi Arabia, the religious scholar said there were no such problems in the kingdom because the government there was in full control of all the issues, including moon-sighting.
Nasir Manjakoti, a prayer leader at Asma Khumaid mosque in Hijrat Colony, does not support the individuals having celebrated Eid on Tuesday. “This would divide the Ummah,” he contended and said the Muslims should unite to resolve such issues.
Asked if he was mindful of geographical peculiarities and the impact thereof on moon-sighting globally, Manjakoti replied in positive, saying that in that case the nations should celebrate Eids according to their time-bound geographical ground realities.
If the proponents of witness-based Eid are to be believed a sufficient number of Ahle Hadith in this metropolis has long been celebrating Eid festivals on the basis of witnesses of moon-sighting most of the time coming from Saudi Arabia or the KPK province.
“Some of our likeminded friends in Landhi’s Sherpao and Ashra-e-Mubashara mosques had celebrated Eidul Fitr according to Saudi Ruet this year,” said Razauulah.
He, however, was unsure whether or not they had followed the course on Eidul Azha too.
