Ulema back plan for fixed prayer timings

Under the new system, uniform prayer timings will be introduced in mosques across the city

Karachi 

Ulema belonging to different schools of thought from Karachi endorsed on Thursday a plan for introducing a system, Nizam-e-Salat, for the same fixed timings for prayers in all mosques of the city.

They appreciated the system agreed at a consultative meeting held at the Sindh Secretariat under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousuf. Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Religious Affairs Dr Abdul Qayoom Soomro and other officials from his department also attended.

The federal minister said the system had been introduced first in Islamabad after consultation with around 30 to 35 Ulema belonging to various schools of thoughts from the federal capital.

He said that on March 4, 2015, his ministry invited Ulema and formed a committee having their representation to prepare a Nizam-e-Salat calendar with consensus.

The committee unanimously decided on fixed times for calls for prayers and the five times’ prayers in all mosques of the capital and included the timings in the calendar.

The Nimaz-e-Salat was formally announced at the Faisal Masjid in Islamabad on May 1, 2015, the federal minister said. He said the new system was an effort to bring closer all Muslim brothers to one another and promote solidarity in the country.

Yousuf said all Ulema were on the same page for the same cause. He said he also talks with the four chief ministers to introduce the system in the provinces.

He hoped that the Ulema would nominate their representatives for forming a committee to fix the prayer timings in Karachi and later in other cities.

The minister said the system already existed in different countries, including Turkey, the UAE and Malaysia.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister Dr Abdul Qayoom said the committee on the Nizam-e-Salat would be set up within a week.

He said the committee would have two representatives each from every religious and political party, and no proscribed religious outfit would be made part of it.

He noted that the provincial department was laying a plan for introducing a uniform Friday sermon under a code of conduct and the government would get the sermon passed in the Sindh Assembly.  He also appreciated the measures being taken by the federal religious affairs ministry for introducing the system.