K & P

Ramazan may begin a day earlier in K-P

Qasim Ali Khan mosque says its judgment differs with that of Ruet-i-Hilal committee.

Hassan Ali July 11, 2012

PESHAWAR: In some parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the holy month of Ramazan may be observed a day before the rest of the country, due to conflicting moon observations.

Religious clerics will meet on 29th Shaban in Qasim Ali Khan mosque, Peshawar, for moon-sighting.

Meanwhile, the Central Ruet-i-Hilal committee will also observe the moon on the same day.

However, there has been a conflict about moon-sightings in the country, with the chief cleric of the Qasim Ali Khan Mosque, Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, saying that the Ruet-i-Hilal was ineffective.

He told The Express Tribune that the Ruet-i-Hilal committee was presented with evidence from people who had sighted the moon in K-P but it was disregarded by its members.

When Mufti Muneebur Rehman was contacted, he defended the committee saying all evidence gathered was judged in accordance to the sharia.

“Whenever someone presents us evidence it is mandatory that it is questioned and judged by authorities to ensure authenticity. Some sightings may be rejected as they do not meet the required standards,” he said.

The provincial minister for religious affairs, Nimroz Khan, said a committee of influential clerics had been made to judge whether Ramazan would begin in K-P a day before the federal government announced it.

He said that his ministry was working with the clerics to ensure that the country celebrated religious holidays together.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal provincial leader Abdul Jalil Jan, who sits in the Qasim Ali Khan mosque moon-sighting committee, said: “It is important to celebrate Ramazan and Eid on the same day as the rest of the country.” However, he said it was important that Ruet-i-Hilal took evidence into K-P into account.

He said it was unlikely that they would observe the first say of fasting on the same day as the rest of the country.

COMMENTS (4)

Waqas | 11 years ago | Reply I believe the nation is not divided as the majority in Pakistan observe the hilal sighting according to the central ruet hilal committee. It is only one masjid Qasim Ali Khan in Peshewar which cliams to have witnesses who have seen the hilal a day before everyone else in pakistan. The other main jamia mosque in Peshewar is the Jamia Sooneri which always without fail follows the rest of Pakistan. So apart from some extremist mullahs in KP who tend to traditionally follow Saudi Arabia everyone else in Pakistan follows Central Hilal Committee. In the Uk we have the same issue but to a greater extent. Uneducated people blindly take the Saudi sighting as correct and try to convince everyone else to follow suit. However since last three years educated Ulema have had enough and decided that the Ruet hillal of Saudi is always doubtful. So my advice to everyone is check the websites which show where it is possible for the moon to be sighted and then check to see if the claism are correct. The Pak Hilal committee has always been correct according to the calculations and weather conditions in Pak.

Rahimullah Shah | 11 years ago | Reply

Once again, controversy of Ramazan moon and two Eids are likely to continue this year as it always happens here which actually become a tradition. The debate on moon sighting issue seems never-ending. People shamefully start to criticise one another claiming that they have seen the crescent moon of the Ramazan or Eid but this is not the solution. This time government should play a significant role to eliminate this controversy. We need to accept responsibility and stop the blame game. Everyone should try to see the crescent on 29th of Shaban.