Srinagar, Mar 23: A day after contradictions occurred over the sighting of crescent in Kashmir, Chairperson Waqf Board, Darakshan Andrabi Thursday said that Jammu and Kashmir will have its own Ruet-e-Hilal committee and it will end all confusion related to moon sighting. She said that suggestions will be sought from the people regarding the setting up of the committee..
Talking to reporters at Dargah Hazratbal, she said the government will put an end to such contradictions regarding Ramadhan moon sighting by next year. “It is an era of technology, and everything is available, we will take measures to end such chaos by next Eid,” the Chairperson said.
Andrabi said for devotees, the waqt has created special arrangements that have been put in place at Dargah Hazratbal this Ramadhan so that the devotees will not face any hardships during rains or hot weather conditions. The Taraveeh prayers from the Hazratbal shrine will be telecaste live from today, she said.
She also said that Bait-ul-Maal, which is not part of Waqf funds, will be utilized for helping the poor in the local areas.
The move comes a day after a majority of people observed the first day of Ramzan in Kashmir Valley on Thursday, amid a controversy over the sighting of the new moon.
Confusion prevailed in the Valley on Wednesday night following the announcement made by Kashmir’s grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam that the new moon was not sighted anywhere in Kashmir. He asked people to observe fasting from Friday.
However, the Anjuman-e-Sharian Shian, a religious body, said it received confirmation of the moon sightings and asked people to fast from Thursday. The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Pakistan, too announced the same late in the night.
Hundreds of locals took to the mosques in defiance of the grand mufti and arranged special Ramzan prayers on Thursday night, which is mandatory to start the fasting from the next day.
Meanwhile, hundreds of worshippers attended Valley mosques and shrines where special prayers were held for the well-being of the humankind. Markets were also buzzing as shoppers flocked to buy eatables, especially dates for ‘Iftar’, the sunset time when Muslims break their fast.
Ramadan is the month in which the Holy Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the faithful observe the ninth month of the Islamic calendar with prayers and fasting.During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise (Fajr) to sunset (Maghreb).Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, and it’s an obligatory practice for all Muslims who can carry out the fast.
