As it was raining heavily on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha prayers on Thursday, two congregational prayers were held in Ishat-e-Islam mosque in Abul Fazal Enclave of New Delhi as it was not possible to accommodate all the worshippers under the roofed area of mosque. This suggested that multiple congregational prayers can be held on other occasions also to avoid traffic jam that happens due to spilling over of the worshippers on roads and streets causing inconveniences to commuters.
Syed Khalique Ahmed
NEW DELHI—A unique development took place on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha in the Ishaat-e-Islam mosque within the campus of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) in Abul Fazal Enclave in the national capital. Unlike in the past when only one congregational prayers were held on the occasion of Eid, there were two congregational prayers for Eid-ul-Azha held in the Ishaat-e-Islam mosque today. While there can be difference of opinion among Islamic jurists over the issue, the decision taken by the Jamaat’s functionaries at the last moment brought much relief to the worshippers who had come for prayers.
It was heavily raining at the time of prayers and the lawns outside the roofed area of the mosque were full of water and it was not possible at all for people to pray in the open. Hundreds of people were standing in the crowded verandahs to protect themselves from rains. There were several others who got completely drenched, including women, while coming to the mosque. There were many others who could not reach the mosque at prayer time due to heavy rains.
This was a piquant situation for the Jamaat office-bearers managing the affairs of the mosque and assigned to lead the Eid-ul-Azha prayers. It was their responsibility to ensure that no one went back without offering the prayers because Ishaat-e-Islam Trust mosque attracts people from as far as NOIDA and other places in the National Capital Region. Since the roofed area of the mosque is not adequate to accommodate a huge gathering in Eid, the mosque management decided to hold two congregational prayers(Jamaat), one after the other with a gap of about half an hour between the two Jamaats.
JIH secretary Dr. Mohiyuddin Ghazi immediately announced on the mike that the management has decided to hold two congregational prayers and those who could not find space in the roofed area in the first congregation should wait. The second Jamaat would be held at 8.10 a.m., 40 minutes after the first. The announcement at the last moment came as a big relief to the people who had come from far-flung areas of the national capital. There were more than 700 people who offered prayers in the second Jamaat. The first congregation or the Jamaat was led by Hafiz Syed Mohiyuddin Shakir, JIH finance secretary and the second was led by Dr. Ghazi himself. According to Mr. Javed Iqbal, a very senior functionary of the JIH, there were about 700 persons in the second congregation.
I am writing about this development because this is a unique thing that I observed among Indian Muslims. I don’t have any information that two congregational prayers or Jamaats in a mosque or Eidgah were held anywhere in India at any point of time in the past either on the occasion of Eid or Fridays when there is huge rush of people.
Owing to massive rush and scarcity of space in mosques, worshippers many times spill out on roads and streets outside the mosques and Eidgahs, creating great inconvenience to traffick. Road blockade have caused jams, some time for hours together, resulting in total chaos on roads. Several times, it has resulted in protest by non-Muslims who feel aggrieved by Muslims occupying the roads for prayers on Fridays and other special occasions. These protests have generally occurred in big cities like Mumbai. Holding prayers on roads have also provoked violent clashes between Muslims and non-Muslims, resulting into loss of life, injuries to people and destruction of properties.
But JIH officials have practically demonstrated how to handle a situation when the number of worshippers increase and can’t be accommodated in one congregation in mosques and Eidgah with limited spaces. They have practically shown that one can perform one’s religious obligations like offering prayers without blocking traffic movement and causing inconvenience to those using the road. Blocking of traffic during Friday prayers has also generated a kind of hate among the majority population against Muslims. Offering prayers by stopping traffic has also sent a wrong communication to the non-Muslim population. In fact, such a thing is not encouraged even in Muslim majority countries. However, the government in Muslim countries make enough arrangement for mosques and Eidgahs which is not the case in India. The government in India hardly cooperates with Muslims in allotting them land and giving permission for construction of mosques, resulting in extreme shortage of mosques and worship places.
In view of the peculiar demographic situation in India where Muslims, Hindus and followers of other faiths live together and use common roads and highways etc. for their daily needs, our Ulema and religious leaders need to find out ways about how to conduct themselves in a multi-cultural society because Islam, under no circumstances, allows its followers to create trouble for others by their action, even if it is for performing obligatory ‘namaaz’ or prayers. Many liberal Hindu academicians and intellectuals, who are highly sympathetic to Muslims, have also been complaining about Muslims occupying the roads for prayers and the passageway in trains, causing harassment to road users and fellow travellers in trains.
What JIH did here today, is followed in many European countries like Germany where population of Muslims has increased owing to migration from different parts of the world, particularly Turkey and Arab countries, in recent years. According to reports, three congregational prayers or Jamaats were held in Berlin’s Jama Masjid on the occasion of Eid in April this year and the same thing happened on Eid-ul-Azha which was celebrated in Germany yesterday. Holding of multiple congregational prayers in the same mosque during Eid has been reported from other European countries as well. Many Islamic jurists in India and the Arab world have justified holding of multiple congregational prayers in the same mosque or premises when the situation demands so. The practice of multiple congregational prayers on occasions like Eid can make it extremely easy for Muslims to celebrate their festivals in an atmosphere of peace and with joy and gaiety.
Will Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and some other Muslim cultural and religious organisations take a lead in creating awareness among the Ulema and motivate them to hold more than one congregational prayers in the same mosque or premises when the space within the mosque is inadequate to accommodate all the worshippers in a single congregation? Besides celebrating the festival cheerfully, it would end traffic obstruction on roads and in streets and also send a positive message to members of other faiths.
