The link between Hajj and Eid ul-Adha tends to be passionately debated each year. In the recent past, a small minority of Muslims have started to argue that Eid ul-Adha must be celebrated a day after the Day of Arafah (9th Dhul Hajjah) in an attempt to centralize Islam and dictate the Islamic calendar from Saudi Arabia. The majority of Muslims, throughout the world, maintain that Eid ul-Adha is not linked to the Day of Arafah or the rituals of Hajj but it is a separate act of worship, celebrated on 10th of Dhul Hajjah according to the local calendar. The article below explores some aspects of this debate. The purpose is not to attack any particular opinion or group, rather to ask Muslims to consider some of the arguments and independently make up their own minds as to when they wish to celebrate Eid ul-Adha. In any event, following Islamic etiquette, we should not turn such debates into matters of hatred or animosity towards others. Were both Eid ul-Adha and Hajj initiated at the same time so that one came immediately after the other? The two Eids, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha were initiated by the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) well in advance of Hajj becoming a pillar of Islam. These two festivals were introduced to Muslims in Madinah, as the alternative Islamic festivals. “Anas ibn Malik reports that the Prophet came to Madinah and saw they had two days of festivity. He asked, ‘What are these two days?’ They said, ‘We used to celebrate these days in Jahiliyya. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘Allah has replaced them with two better days: the day of Fitr and the day of Adha.” [Abu Dawud] Although reports differ as to whether the Prophet (peace be upon him) offered the first Eid prayer in Madinah in the first or second year of migration (Hijrah), the more authentic and widely accepted narration indicates that the first Eid prayer was observed in the second year of the Hijrah. Hajj, on the other hand, was not made obligatory until the ninth year of Hijrah. If Hajj and Eid ul-Adha were so closely intertwined then surely they would have been prescribed in Islam simultaneously. There is no report that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ever tried to find out the day of Hajj during his stay in Madinah in an effort to make Eid ul-Adha coincide with day of Arafah or Hajj. As there are 9 days between the first day of Dhul Hajjah and the day of Arafah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) could have easily found out to make Eid-ul-Adha coincide with Hajj. This historical fact proves that the day of Arafah is not directly connected with Eid ul-Adha. Eid ul-Adha is connected with the 10th of Dhul-Hajjah and not with the observance of Hajj. In turn, the 10th of Dhul-Hajjah will differ depending on where in the world a person is, in the same way as every other date might differ under the lunar calendar. This practice of relying on local moon sightings or reports of such moon sightings has continued throughout the centuries until this day. Muslims throughout the world try to observe the moon and make a decision regarding the beginning or end of every Islamic month, not just the month of Dhul-Hajjah and not just relying on one particular country. Was it a lack of technology that lead to Eid-ul-Adha not being celebrated immediately after Hajj? The argument that is most often propounded is that Eid ul-Adha should fall on the day after Hajj because electronic communication now allows us to be aware of when Hajj is taking place, and therefore the principle of maintaining unity amongst Muslims dictates that we should celebrate Eid on the same day. Islam is a natural religion that should apply to all times and the fundamental and over-arching principles should not change due to the advancement of certain medium or lack thereof. Surely the fact that we now have televisions/internet which enable us to witness the Hajj taking place and phones which allow the news of when Hajj will occur to be swiftly communicated throughout the world should not change the fundamental principles of our faith. To start making alternations in this way could be a slippery slope - who knows what technological advancements future years will bring, and what other fine-tuning of established Islamic principles these will apparently require. Advancements in technology can undoubtedly enhance our religious observances (such as using astronomical data to aide moon-sighting), but perhaps altering basic principles such as the day on which Eid should be celebrated as a result of advancements in communications is going a step too far? What does the Quran and Sunnah say? You often hear arguments from some quarters to the effect that the principle of celebrating Eid on 10th Dhul-Hajjah (as opposed to on the day after Hajj has taken place) is only a matter of opinion or a matter of traditionally following a particular country, rather than being based on the Quran and Sunnah. If this argument is accepted and it is agreed that the real intention of the Quran and Sunnah was to have the celebration of Eid ul-Adha linked to Hajj (i.e with the Makkahan dates) as a mandatory provision for all Muslims in the world, that would mean that the Shariah has emphasised a principle which was not practical for over 1300 years. Because until very recently, with the advent of telephones, televisions and the internet, it would have been impossible for news of when Hajj was due to take place to travel across the globe quickly enough for Muslims throughout the world to celebrate on the same day. It goes totally against the Islamic principle that Allah does not make a thing mandatory unless it is practical for human beings. If the proponents of such arguments maintain that the celebration of Eid ul-Adha was not linked with the dates in Saudi Arabia in the past but it has become a necessary requirement of the Shariah now, then the question arises, who has abrogated the previous principle and on what basis? There is no provision in Quran or the Sunnah which orders the Muslims to celebrate Eid ul-Adha according to their local dates up to a particular time and to link it with the dates in Makkah thereafter. If the argument is to be accepted, is it not surprising that we do not find any ahadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying that the Muslim Ummah should celebrate Eid on the same day throughout the Muslim lands (or even in the Middle East) or even any ahadith prophesising that such a day would come when unified celebrations would take place? Surely the Prophet (peace be upon him) could have prophesised about the coming of such a day, just like he has prophesised many other things that are happening in the world at the moment. Does unity of Muslims mean that we have acts of worship on the same day throughout the world? Much emphasis is placed upon the concept of the unity of the Muslim Ummah, which no one can dispute. At the same time, however, one must appreciate that unity does not mean that the entire Muslim Ummah throughout the world should perform their acts of worship at one and the same time, because it is physically not possible. It is evident that when people in Saudi Arabia are performing their Maghrib prayers, those in the UK may be praying their Zuhr prayer. Even today it would be impossible for Eid celebrations to take place on the same day throughout the world given the time differences between different countries. The day will have ended in some parts of the world, such as Australia (parts of which are 8 hours ahead of Saudi Arabia), before the day of 10 Dhul-Hajjah has properly even started in Saudi Arabia. It is surprising that those who argue that the celebration of Eid ul-Adha on different days goes against the concept of Ummah dispense with this concept in the matter of starting or ending Ramadan (celebration of Eid al-Fitr). If the celebration of Eid al-Fitr on different days does not affect the concept of unity, how can it be said to harm unity in the case of Eid ul-Adha? Is unity with Hujjaj (who do not celebrate Eid) more important than unity with the Muslims in ones own town and street? We would strongly urge our brothers and sisters that for the sake of unity, they should celebrate Eid on the basis of their regions so that there is unity in ones own area, rather than trying to seek unity with Muslims on whom the Eid is not even compulsory (i.e. the pilgrims). Conclusion Unity in the Ummah does not come from centralization. Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam and an event of great power and spirituality but this is for the Hujjaj (pilgrims) who are actually performing the Hajj in Makkah and the surrounding areas. It is clear that no attempt has been made in Islamic history to directly intertwine Hajj and Eid ul-Adha. Eid ul-Adha should be marked on the locally agreed upon 10th of Dhul-Hajjah rather than the Makkan 10th of Dhul-Hajjah. Such unprecedented proposals are unlikely to advance the cause of Muslim unity. Muslims can use technology to understand the calculations of when and where the sighting of the moon occurs or can occur and that data can be used to determine the beginning and end of a month. This solution is much more likely to result in unity amongst Muslims at a local level. May Allah Almighty guide us on this issue that has divided our communities.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 21:48:34 +0000
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