Afghan citizens offer Eid prayers at the Kacha Garhee Refugee Camp. PHOTO: ONLINE
Parts of Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) observed Eidul Fitr on Thursday while the rest of the province will celebrate today (Friday).
Residents of Gujar Garhi, Mardan and followers of a cleric in Nabi village, Swabi celebrated Eid on Thursday despite requests by other locals to observe it with the rest of the country.
Gujar Garhi has a population of around 0.1 million and is situated on the outskirts of Mardan. It sports 60 mosques out of which the clerics of eight mosques announced they had sighted the moon Wednesday evening.
Gujar Garhi police official Gohar Khan claimed around 1am he heard the sound of gunfire in the vicinity prompting him to patrol the area. He found people standing outside Miangano, Madani, Dagai, Bangla, Kathan Khel, Shankar and Chakaro Pul mosques with plans to observe Eid on Thursday.
After spotting the police, some residents asked Khan to accompany them to convince the local clerics to observe Eid with the government. “For unity’s sake we went to the clerics to convince them,” said Khan. However, the clerics maintained people had started their fasts alongside Saudi Arabia and will celebrate the end of fasting with them.
A large majority in Gujar Garhi was fasting with the exception of those living around the eight mosques.
MPA Iftikhar Mashwani – who won from PK-26 Mardan-IV – explained the clerics under the supervision of well-respected elder Qazi Syed Faridullah decided to observe Eid after the testimony of 10 witnesses who said they had seen the new moon. Upon hearing the news, Mashwani went to convince them to wait one more day, however, the announcement for Eidul Fitr had been made on loudspeakers.
Meanwhile, in Swabi, half the residents of Nabi village observed Eid. On Wednesday night Khajor Masjid cleric Qari Sanaullah announced Eid should be observed on Thursday.
Afghan nationals living in Shumlo Camp, Gandaf, Bagicha Dheri in Swabi also celebrated as they started the month of fasting with Saudi Arabia.
Some people living in Shabqadar in Charsadda district also celebrated a day earlier.
FATA
People in parts of North Waziristan, Mohmand, Bajaur and Khyber agencies celebrated Eidul Fitr on Thursday as witnesses came forth, claiming to have seen the moon for Shawal.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 9th, 2013.
COMMENTS (7)
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@rome: have you read Islam and importance of moon in it,I think you are educated as well,if we go by you then timing of prayers,fasting etc should be same everywhere that what is at Mecca for complete world,just forget timing in relation to sun and moon rise and set.COME ON!
There is very seriously wrong with the people specially elders who do not question the mullahs and it is modern time and has a mob and TV but still live in stone age is horrible.Then media also make projection of our country that we still are divided.
@Karachiwala: What in the world does this report have to do with PTI? Fata comes under the federal government but of course for someone like you Geography or even Politics does not matter as the mere point of your comment was just to bash Pti. It's because of people like you that our country is in such a mess
very courages and bold move by the muslims to celebrate the eid on thursday which i believe was the real eid day. forget all this babashakkari explanation(not meant in negative) but its more complicated. see the moon one place and tell it to people around the World and then start rather than this one day here and another day there. there is only one moon and we have the technology to give the info to other muslim countries as well. why make it to a such big deal. An admire of those who had the courage to stand on to praying eid on thursday and not like the MPA mishwani who tried to convince them to wait one day more.
@Babashakkari: True. These was no way new moon could be seen on wednesday. http://www.moonconnection.com/moonphasescalendar.phtml
Wonder why don't the ulemas follow the charted lunar phases of moon.
There was absolutely no chance of moon sighting in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening. So any claims of actual sighting are false.
However it must be noted that Saudi Arabia does not go by actual moon sighting. If moon is not sighted then their ulema have decided that they will wait till fajr time (next morning) and see if moon is sighted in countries that are behind them in time (ie where evening falls later).
But if night ends and fajr falls and no sighting has been confirmed, then they continue the month for one more day. This time of the year sun sets at 6.55 pm and rises next day at 5.55 am in Makkah. This gives them 11 hours to wait and see if moon is sighted in other countries west of Saudi Arabia. So people who want to follow this formula have to calculate from when sun sets in Pakistan.Because Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have 2 hour time difference and also Pakistan gets 10 and a half hour window instead of 11 that Saudi Arabia gets (night is half an hour shorter in Islamabad than it is in Makkah). So with this formula if moon is sighted in the last 2 and a half hours of the 11 hour window for Saudi Arabia it may not apply to Pakistan because we would already have started next day.
This year there was some (very little) chance of moon sighting in southern tip of Africa and comparatively better chance in South America on Wednesday night. So if moon was sighted in Africa then based on this formula one can celebrate in Pakistan but if it was in South America or Polynesia (which is more likely the case) then Saudi's can celebrate but probably not Pakistan.
On other hand many ulema strictly follow Local Moon sighting (or if cloudy at least possibility of sighting).
Allah knows best, and Allah knows the intentions behind the actions. I am not looking to create a controversy , just explaining different views that I know exist regarding moonlighting.
no wonder they voted for PTI... i guess give them a separate country.