Fawad Chaudhry says first 'roza' on April 25 but no moon-sighting gathering over virus

ISLAMABAD: The Ramazan moon will be sighted on April 24 as per the lunar calendar, marking the first fast of the holy month of Ramazan on April 25, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Wednesday.

Chaudhry, who had announced the same date for the first fast back in February as well, mentioned that there had been a plan to gather people for the moon sighting. However, it has been called off owing to the coronavirus pandemic, which health experts say can be prevented by avoiding public congregations.

"Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rahman is our elder and I respect him but he cannot even see such a big moon, how can he see the tiny coronavirus," he said on Twitter.

"We have brought to the attention of Ministry of Religious Affairs [and Inter-faith Harmony] that if the head of your ministerial committee pokes fun at the government's orders, what can you expect from others?

"As for Ramazan, the moon will be sighted on April 24 and the first roza [fast] will be on April 25. We had earlier planned to gather to see the moon but the corona [virus] has cancelled all congregations.

"God willing, if we get a chance next year, we will schedule chaand raat festivities," the minister added.

Ulema say no lockdown in mosques

Last night, Ulema from various schools of thought had declared that the lockdown would no longer be implemented at mosques, with Mufti Muneeb saying Tarawih prayers and Itikaf would continue as per schedule and that those going to the mosques should practice social distancing.

Meanwhile, Mufti Taqi Usmani had urged the government to not arrest people from within mosques. "All those who have been arrested [for coming to mosques] should be released," he had said, adding that worshippers should wear masks and perform wuzu, or ablution, at their homes before coming to the mosques.

Mufti Taqi had said offering congregational prayers in Ramazan was obligatory for a Muslim. The elderly and sick should not come into the mosques and pray indoors instead, the cleric had added.

Lockdown extended by two weeks

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said the current lockdown in Pakistan to contain the coronavirus pandemic was to continue for another two weeks at schools and public places but that certain industries, such as construction, would be opened effectively tomorrow.

He had warned that the people should still be mindful that "this virus can spread rapidly at any time".

"We need to continue to exercise caution," he had added.

Uniform policy

Religious Affairs Minister Dr Noor-ul-Haq Qadri had earlier said the consultations with religious scholars over Friday prayers and Itikaf would take place on April 18 after which the government would take a decision on the matter.

The minister had urged the Ulema to develop a consensus rather than taking individual decisions, saying clerics from all sects would be taken into confidence.

Qadri had said the entire country would have a uniform policy regarding Ramazan this year, with the parties to lay out a comprehensive strategy for the holy month in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The government would approach Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, Siraj-ul-Haq, Sajid Mir, and Sajid Naqvi, among others for policy-making consultations.

The rift between Chaudhry and clerics — including Mufti Muneeb, the chairperson of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Taqi, and Shahabuddin Popalzai — have been going on for almost a year.

'Joy and happiness, not divisions'

Chaudhry has previously urged that Eids and other religious festivals should be a "reason for joy and happiness, not divisions”, referring to clerics disputing lunar calendar-based moon sightings.

"We are inviting people on the basis of knowledge and technology," he had said back in May when Muftis Muneeb and Shahabuddin Popalzai failed to turn up to a joint meeting of the Senate and National Assembly’s standing committees on religious affairs despite invitations being extended to them.

"We are a nation state and such groupings and divisions cause ideological damage,” he had said.

The minister had referenced Saudi Arabia and Iran, two nations that the Muslim community around the world holds in high regard, saying their decisions revolving around the sighting of the moon were always centred on the use of science.

Rs4m spent on moon-sighting annually

The Ruet-e-Hilal Committee had provided wrong lunar dates for three months — Safar, Rajab, and Zilqad — and that the Council of Islamic Ideology's (CII) work was not up to the people’s standards, Chaudhry had noted.

“It’s not as if they are working for free,” he had added. “We have been crippled as a nation without the use of knowledge and wisdom.”

He had also questioned the wisdom in spending large sums of money — up to Rs4 million — on the moon-sighting procedure every year, saying that the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee should carry out the sighting voluntarily.

"I have given an opinion. Everyone does not need to agree,” he had said. "Educated scholars are supporting my suggestion."

Committee of scientists, experts formed

In May last year, Chaudhry had constituted a five-member committee comprising science and technology experts from the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) to predict key dates and months of the Islamic Calendar, with an aim to put an end to moon sighting controversies in the country.

The committee would work to finalise the calendar to "indicate the exact dates of Ramzan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, and Muharram for the next five years with 100% accuracy,” according to a notification dated May 3, 2019.

Among members of the committee are Science and Technology Ministry Joint Scientific Adviser Dr Muhammad Tariq Masood, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) Meteorology Lecturer Waqar Ahmad, PMD Deputy Directors Nadeem Faisal and Abu Nasan, and SUPARCO DCM Ghulam Murtaza.

Minister 'unaware of religious matters'

His statement had prompted a reaction from Mufti Muneeb, who appealed to PM Imran to stop his ministers from commenting on religious matters.

The cleric had strongly disagreed with Chaudhry, saying the minister was "unaware of religious matters".

"I have previously appealed to the premier to let speak only concerned minister on religious issues. The science and technology minister doesn't understand the sensitivity of the issue he shouldn't have a licence to speak on it," Mufti Muneeb had said.

However, around the same time, the science minister had also announced Pakistan’s first-ever moon-sighting website. This was followed by the launch of the country’s first-ever moon-sighting app to share real-time information about the moon.

'The Ruet'

Named the “The Ruet”, the app combines the Islamic Hijri calendar with modern technology to learn about the beginning of the new Islamic month with a single tap. The app also displays various moon phases, the current age of the moon and other time information according to the Islamic calendar.

“The Ruet is a utility and information application related to moon and sighting of the moon in Pakistan by the Ministry of Science and Technology” according to the app’s description.

The science minister has on multiple occasions objected to Ruet-e-Hilal Committee's decisions on moon sightings and questioned its ability.