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Future moon sightings will now be announced after mutual consultations: J&K grand mufti
The amalgam of scholars or Ulema sided with the decision of majority of Muslims, who started fasting from Thursday, disregarding grand mufti’s announcement to fast from Friday
Jammu and Kashmir’s prominent Islamic scholars, including the grand mufti Nasir-ul-Islam, on Tuesday decided to announce future decisions of moon sightings after mutual consultations following the recent confusion over the beginning of Ramadan triggered by contradictory reports over sighting of crescent.
The amalgam of scholars or Ulema sided with the decision of majority of Muslims, who started fasting from Thursday, disregarding grand mufti’s announcement to fast from Friday. The Ulema decided to go for next month’s moon sighting and Eid announcement on April 20 instead of 21 (for those who started fasting from Friday).
“We have made some decisions. Shab-e-Qadr (special night for prayers) will be observed on April 17 and moon sighting will be done on April 20,” the grand mufti said in a written statement after a meeting in Srinagar.
The confusion started when the grand mufti on Wednesday evening said he received no evidence of sighting of moon from any part of J&K and urged Muslims to start fasting from Friday. Earlier, the moon sight committee of the Jama Masjid, Delhi, had also announced that they did not see crescent anywhere. However, a few hours later, around 10.40pm, Central Ruet Hilal Committee Pakistan (crescent-sighting committee) announced sighting of moon and said Ramadan will start from Thursday, prompting majority in J&K to start fasting.
The grand mufti said if moon was sighted on April 20, those who started fasting from Friday will have to observe a complimentary (Qaza) day fast after Eid.
He said that the Ulema have decided to keep moon sighting decisions a mutual affair. “To strengthen the moon sighting process, consultations will be made with religious bodies,” he said.
Due to the confusion, Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board was also mulling to establish UT’s own crescent sighting committee.
Darakshan Andrabi, chairperson of the Waqf Board, which administers majority of prominent shrines in J&K, said that people are insisting for UT’s own committee and control room. “We should have such a committee with the latest technology. We should also have a control room through which we can ourselves observe and decide when we should celebrate Eid or observe Ramadan,” Andrabi had said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the amalgam of scholars also urged the government to release the chief priest of Jamia Masjid and separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from house detention.
