Variegated Timings of Suhoor and Iftaar
By Mushtaq
Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam
21 April
2023
Islam lays
a strong emphasis on proper time management. Cursing time has been abhorred.
The whole life of a believing Muslim revolves around the proper time
management. The five prayers are supposed to remind Muslims at specific times
to remember Allah, purpose of creation while being a constant reminder of the
fact that all their deeds should be revolving around pleasing Allah. Despite
such a comprehensive emphasis on time management, Muslims have very poor skills
at managing this greatest resource. Also the poor management of time is
manifested in the variegated timings of prayers in various mosques, the
initiation (Suhoor) and breaking fast (Iftar) timings. No one seems to give it
a comprehensive thought. The different timings for every ritual speak volumes
about our conflicting interests that we try to camouflage in the calls towards
Unity.
Sometime
back while discussing the steps needed to be taken for developing a uniform
prayer time in J&K at the sidelines of a Muslim unity conference, one
scholar refuted my arguments by articulating a valid statement that a uniform
timing system will rob off the diversity, pluralism, democracy that variegated
timings do offer, to the praying believers. It is indeed a valid and factual
argument that diverse timings do offer the relaxation to believers for not
missing the prayers. The four schools of thought among Sunnis i.e. Hanafis,
Malikis, Shafiees and Hanabalis offer prayers with differences of few minutes, here
and there. But the timing of prayers between Shias and Sunnis is not just few
minutes but more. So that explains how the timings of Suhoor as well as Iftar
are apart between the Shia and Sunni sects.
The
differences in timings certainly do point out the dynamism about Islam, and
complexity of human life. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) must has offered prayers with
different timings as an elaborate system of documenting and knowing about the
correct timing was not evolved during his times. So it explains the variegated
timings of different schools of thought and sects. Some offer prayers, at the
very start of the prayer times while others offer the same at the end. No one
thinks about taking steps aimed at framing a uniform prayer timing calendar,
according to the region.
The
manifestation of these variegated timings is witnessed most during the month of
Ramadan, when timings for starting and breaking the fasts is reflected
differently and it leads to family members starting and ending fasts at
different times. So when we are not united even on the timings of fasting, and
we make no efforts even for making a uniform timing for the Suhoor and Iftar,
then the call for unity and organizing such conferences is futile. The real
efforts for unity need an execution of practical and pragmatic steps that
include praying after Imams of each other, considering those prayers as valid
and further reaching out at a consensus to develop a uniform timing schedule
for prayers and fasting.
It is in
these efforts that the real call for unity gets manifested, rest everything
else is a hoax, a false call towards unity. Developing a uniform timing
schedule for prayers and fasting is the real test for any unity efforts because
it depicts giving up or giving in the sectarian stances for greater unity of
Ummah. Also developing a uniform schedule will be a step towards rekindling
Ijtihad. As the clock has now been invented and modern tools of astronomy too,
that help us depict the correct timings of solar and lunar calendars, duration
of day and night, so it becomes incumbent on Muslims to utilize these tools of
science. They will help in the Ijtihadi efforts to develop a uniform timing
schedule. But undertaking such an Ijtihad is not without its perils because it
will include the erosion of sectarianism and position/power of the mullahs that
they hold while altering timings of prayers as well as declaring when to fast,
start as well as end it.
History is
but a witness that under pressure from the masses, the mullahs have given up
thus saving their skin. It happened in case of printing press, loud speakers,
camera, videos, English education, social media etc. They opposed it initially
to stay relevant but once they witnessed it to be futile as Muslims were not
paying a heed to their whims, they sought out the religious legitimacy for the
same. The Mullahdom has severely impacted the progress of Muslims, as they hold
a sway over them. Muslim gullible masses consider any person with a beard, cap,
speaking few Arabic lines as a scholar bestowing him the right to interpret
Islam. These mullahs unlike Christian clergy have not apologized to the Muslim
masses for hampering their progress and keeping them in dark.
The height
of hypocrisy is the fact that they still make fools out of masses, when the
science has advanced to a level where the timing can be counted even for nano
seconds, what issues are creating obstacles towards the development of a
uniform timings calendar for prayers and fasting? Basically, all the sectarian
mullahs do not want to loosen their grip over the masses, who take their views
as God ordained verdicts, so the need is to educate masses to help them
understand the nefarious designs of sectarian mullahs. We need to initiate
steps towards developing a uniform calendar in consultation with geologists,
astronomers, and some genuine scholars, only then the sectarian mullahs will
give up their resistance. They have a history of opposing everything that
threatened their influence, so once they feel threatened they cry hoarse at
Islam being in danger. Although, it is their influence and impact that is in
danger not Islam. So practical steps need to be undertaken to resolve the issue
of different timings, that is giving birth to fissures in the Muslim families
and society on the whole.
-----
A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, M.H.A. Sikander, is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/variegated-timings-suhoor-iftaar/d/129618
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