Why Two Eids in UK?

[313ghazi]

I have read this announcement from our mosque and make me wonder why EID on two different date in UK where you have no chance of sighting the moon. Why all mosque in UK don't agree with one method of moon sighting ? Which day you are celebrating Eid? Sunday or Monday?

Asalamualaikum,

Due to a negative sighting of the moon of Shawwal here in the UK and the nearest Muslim country, Morocco, Eid will be on Monday 26th June InshaaAllah and Taraweh prayers will be at 11pm tonight led by Hafiz Hashim InshaaAllah.

...
However, the Masjid will also facilitate an Eid Jamah for those members of our congregation who are celebrating Eid tomorrow in accordance with the sighting of Saudi Arabia.

Therefore, an Eid Jamah will be held at the Masjid both tomorrow and on Monday as follows:-

Sunday 25th June - 9am
Monday 26th June - 9am

We pray Allah (SWT) accept all our acts of worship and charity performed during this blessed month, and bless the entire Ummah. Ameen.

Whether you are celebrating tomorrow or on Monday, everyone at Bashir Ahmed Masjid wishes you and your families a happy, joyous and peaceful Eid.

Eid Mubarak!

First of all credit must be given to Bashir Ahmed Masjid in Southampton for their progressive attitude towards this. They have accomodated all Muslims in the community rather than using the Masjid to enforce Eid on a single day. Unfortunately not all Masjids are this forward thinking. The city I live in the main Jamia masjid many years ago refused to let the Iraqi brothers use the masjid to do Eid namaz a day earlier. Today those brothers have their own masjid.

Regarding why there were two eids, it is complicated.

1. Difference over what is acceptable method of moon sighting. There is a fiqh based difference on what is acceptable for a moonsighting. Some madhabs accept 1 witness, others 2. When technology has come into play, there is also the arguement of wether we need to actually see the moon, or for the moonsighting to be scientifically possible. Furthermore there is the difference of a "global sighting or local sighting".

2. Molvi being kanjars. Unfortunately the truth of the matter is that most Salafi and deobandi molvi consider the barelvi's kafir and most barelvi molvi will consider salafi and deobandi kafir. They will not spout such rubbish in this manner anymore, but they do continue to say "if you hold x y or z belief it is kufr" and then list beliefs they attribute to the other group. Because of this they don't believe testimony from each other as being acceptable. This means they only accept testimony from their "own brand" of Muslim.

3. "Not Muslim enough" - In the UK our barelvi ulema try to see the moon themselves, often can't do because of weather etc and will then look to sightings in nearby Muslim countries. Geographically the UK is the closest, then they also accept South Africa as it is in the same timezone and has a large established barelvi community. This year some accepted testimony from Nigeria, others rejected it because they didn't have enough proof that the testimony was valid (ie if the Nigerian who saw the moon was Muslim enough for them).

Normally we have non Pakistani communities (particularly Arabs) doing it with Saudi (Deobandi's too generally but can also go the other way) and our Pakistani molvi doing it based on "local sightings". This year was extra special.

- All the Arabs etc followed Saudi
- Some of the deobandi's followed Saudi, others didn't
- Some of the barelvi's followed the Nigerian sighting, others didn't

The awam was left wondering wether to start preperations for Eid or to pray tarawi. Ya Allah save us from these molvi.

 

[Divergent]

Mullahs need to put aside their egos, follow one rule principle and not bring personal disputes in deciding dates.

Sunday was the right day

 

[I.R.A]

Not all of KPK
Just mureedain of Popalzai
@I.R.A

With this never ending division amongst Muslims, their craze to even make a celebration a reason for their further division and their love to get divided further and further on trivial matters like deciding days and dates ...... I suggest that Muslims all over the world should start thinking about following solar calendar ..... which in my personal capacity believe won't be against instructions of Quran (as long as the number of months remains 12)

9:37 Al Quran

There are certain months and days in Islam which are considered holy and important, for example Laila Tul Qadar would have been one specific night unlike the current scheme we follow which has no permanent relation to the exact specific day and month as current Islamic lunar calendar slips back 11 days for every year. Following solar calendar would leave no excuse for Muslims to have different dates.