Muslim clerics change 'namaz' timings in view of Holi
He said this decision will send a positive message to the country abroad and remove the impression that an atmosphere of communal tension prevailed in India. PTi file photo
Setting an example and providing a huge relief to the officials, Muslim clerics have decided to change the timings of the Friday 'namaz' (prayer) in Uttar Pradesh on Holi festival, which will be celebrated on Friday, the day special prayers are offered by Muslim community.
Both Shia and Sunni clerics have deferred the Friday prayers' timings by one hour so that the Holi revellers did not come across large groups of Muslims going for Friday prayers.
Noted Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad and Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangimahali, who was also a senior member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), have urged the 'imams' (priests) of all the mosques across the state to adjust the Friday prayer timings to accommodate the Holi revellers.
They asked the other clerics to defer the noon prayers by one hour, according to the sources here.
The officials have also heaved a sigh of relief after the decision by the clerics. ''There is always a possibility of clash on such occasions...often Holi revellers, while passing by a mosque or Muslim areas, throw colors leading to clashes,'' said a senior police official here.
He said that the officials had kept their fingers crossed as this year the Holi festival would be celebrated on Friday. Muslims in large numbers join the special prayers on this day and hence the worry.
The government has banned the use of DJ and loudspeakers on the occasion of Holi.
