CURRENTS AND CROSSCURRENTS
Holy Eid-ul-Fitr: Confusion through Indecision
Holy Eid-ul-Fitr was performed generally all throughout Bangladesh in a befitting manner on the 19th instant. The date of holding this festivity, which takes place after month-long fasting in holy Ramadan is cognisant upon the sighting of the Shawal moon. This renders an element of uncertainty and raises curiosity among people, specially children, who make it a ceremonious occasion trying to see the rising crescent by their own eyes. Sighting of the new moon is heralded in a scene marked by loud and joyous sound and fury. The welcome news would spread all over the locality, region and even the country within minutes. Many families would then go out to market to complete their last bit of shopping in a festive mood.
The usual scene as described above witnessed a marked deviation on the eve of the Eid-ul-Fitr that we celebrated recently. On this occasion, many people went out just before dusk with the hope of sighting the cherished moon. But they were disappointed. None in the capital saw by their own eyes the moon rising over the horizon in the sky. In view of the new moon's low elevation, the moon could be seen by naked eyes, if at all, only briefly for some minutes and certainly not for hours. If the sky was cloudy or misty, none would expect to sight the moon. We recall that in our young days, people were even made to fly in aircraft to sight the moon in a clear sky. But almost in all cases, the sighting or otherwise of the moon, even from the remotest part of the country, used to be collated on an urgent basis and broadcast maximum within an hour or so after dusk.
In Bangladesh, no news came from anywhere of the country that the Shawal moon had been sighted. The national moon sighting committee, headed by the Hon'ble State Minister for Religious Affairs, was in session from dusk but got no news from any quarters in favour of sighting of the moon. As a result, government controlled radio and television broadcast at 8 P.M. that none had sighted the moon. The electronic media even gave out the timings of Sehri and Iftar for the following day. People had already gone to offer their "tarabi" prayers. Many even retired for the night.
Lo and behold, the 10 O'Clock radio and television news started with the newscaster greeting the viewers with the address " Eid Mubarak." People were stunned, bewildered and later amused. They had earlier heard the news that the moon had not been sighted and, as such, people were advised to fast for another day to complete 30 days of Ramadan. They wondered how it was possible for anyone to accomplish the extraordinary feat of watching the moon in naked eyes after 8 O'Clock at night, unless one had been equipped with parabolic infra-red telescopic eyes to project through a dark and distant sky. Any way, if someone was able to sight the moon before 8 O'Clock, no matter how far and whatever God forsaken place it might have been, in this age of advanced communication facilities, the news would have been received by the moon sighting committee immediately. The local authorities and Deputy Commissioners of districts, as per instruction and normal practice, would have informed Dhaka immediately after someone sighted the moon in their region. But this did not happen.
Then came the decision of the famous committee in the 10 O'Clock news that the Eid would be held the next day. A local Imam in Dhaka was stated to have sighted the moon. It took 4 hours for this news to travel from one place to another within Dhaka city and for the Committee to verify it. The situation appeared incredible, lent doubt in the minds of the people many of whom, specially in distant parts of the country, held Eid on a different day, according to the earlier announcement. People were perplexed, confused and grossly divided. Many of them reluctantly went to markets for their last bit of shopping. Most of them were visibly annoyed. Cynics were highly amused. The whole episode demonstrated total failure of the State Minister and his committee in discharging their duties diligently and on time on such an important issue.
In the absence of a plausible clarification, one has to surmise as to what had actually happened. If the Hon'ble Minister did not find any news by 8 P.M. about any reliable person having sighted the moon, he should have stuck to his decision that Eid would not be held on the following day. A dubious information supplied by someone at a much later stage was suspect and should not have been taken cognisance of by the Committee. Specially so, when an Imam, being well aware of the high significance of the issue, would have immediately informed the Committee. But, apparently he did not do so. Why? Again, how the vast multitude of Dhaka dwellers, except the Imam, failed to have a glimpse of the fleeting crescent?
Some people also go so far as to stretch their imagination by correlating sequence of events in that fateful evening. At 8 P.M., they heard from radio and TV that the moon was not sighted. At 8:30 P.M., they heard Hon'ble Prime Minister's speech ending with the greetings of Eid Mubarak. Shortly thereafter and at 10 O'Clock television news came the announcement that the Eid would be held the next day. This sequence of events makes one wonder whether a revision of the decision of the Religious Affairs authority was prompted by the indomitable urge to vindicate the Prime Minister, under all circumstances!
Notwithstanding the present case, one does have to think seriously about the anomaly, uncertainty and consequent inconvenience for all due to the absence of pre-determined date of Eid-ul-Fitr. One is made to believe that according to the holy scripture, the Eid should be held only after one person has physically sighted the moon in naked eye and that has to be corroborated by witnesses. In the past, this requirement resulted in holding Eid congregration on different days in the same country. The incidence has since been reduced considerably, though it does happen from time to time. Even in some remote areas of Bangladesh, this happens due to lack of communication facilities.
In the present age of advanced scientific accomplishments, it is incredible to assume that the exact date and time of rising of a new moon in different parts of the globe could not be ascertained well in advance. It is, indeed, possible. However, if one concedes to the argument that one must adhere to the dictates of the scripture, then one simple and obvious way of solving this perennially vexed problem is to follow the decision and practice of Saudi Arabia, the abode of holy Kaaba.. The time difference between that country and Bangladesh in astronomical terms, considering the longitude, is only 3 hours. In that case, if Eid is celebrated in Saudi Arabia on a particular day, Eid needs to be celebrated in Bangladesh only 3 hours later on the same day or, at best, within 24 hours on the next day. Under no circumstances, it can be observed more than 24 hours later or 2 days after Eid in Saudi Arabia.
As for conformity to scriptures, if someone in Saudi Arabia has sighted the moon and it is corroborated by the authorities there, it should be tantamount to have been seen by the entire Islamic Ummah. In the olden days, news could not travel fast and that is why the practice of sighting moon locally was in vogue, for reasons of expediency. It should, therefore, be logical, easy and acceptable to all to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in Bangladesh on the day following it is observed in the holiest of holy lands, unless some one here has sighted the moon earlier. This would end all indecision, confusion and uncertainty.
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