HYDERABAD: Several Muslim scholars from Hyderabad, cutting across various schools of thoughts, on Wednesday appealed to Muslims to offer ‘chaasht’ or ‘shukrana’ prayers instead of Eid prayers at their homes and avoid any sort of congregation in view of the lockdown.

Scholars from All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Jamia Nizamia, Jamia-e-Ulema and other seminaries, in a joint statement, asked Muslims to offer namaaz-e-chaast and namaaz-e-shukrana. These are optional prayers, as opposed to the five obligatory prayers in Islam — Fazr, Zohr, Asar, Maghrib and Isa.

The statement said, “These measures are necessary in view of the prevailing conditions in the State and due to the lockdown. No one should visit eidgahs or mosques and prayers should be offered from homes.”
Meanwhile, the historic Charminar procession that is annually taken out on the 20th day of Ramzan has been postponed to next year.

The procession is taken out from Charimnar to commemorate the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali. A directive by the All India Shia Conference, Hyderabad, said, “Due to the pandemic, the historic procession ‘Qadeem Qoumi Matami Juloos’ from Charminar, has been postponed.”