Covid takes charm out of Eid, drives faithful indoors

Ranchi: Muslims across Jharkhand will offer their prayers indoors on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha on Wednesday, Doranda Jama Masjid’s imam Maulana Syed Shah Alcama Sibli said on Monday. “We have sat down with all the stakeholders, including religious leaders, heads of different mosques and some prominent people from our community, and we have decided that everyone, barring those who stay in mosques and the heads, will offer namaz within the confines of their homes as congregations during a pandemic are not recommended,” Sibli said.
He added, “We have communicated the decision to all our mosques across the state to make sure that Eid-ul-Adha celebrations do not become a threat to public health.”
The chief of Imarat-e-shariah (Ranchi chapter), Mufti Mohhamed Anwar Qasmi, said, “We had issued a directive to all the mosques in Hindi as well as in Urdu during Eid, asking the devotees to refrain from offering namaz in groups, avoid hugs and handshakes because of the pandemic. A similar protocol will be followed for Bakrid.” He added, “The festival commemorates the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim who was ready to sacrifice his first born on God’s command and later, sacrificed a sheep as per the almighty’s instructions. So people should also try to sacrifice congregations amid such tough times.”
Even the usual hustle and bustle was missing from the Bakrid market in Ranchi on Monday with traders complaining of sales being down this year.
Manish Singh, who sells goats, said, “I have been feeding Kallu Dada (a goat which is priced at Rs 1,10,000) for more than four months to fetch a good amount this Bakrid but no buyer has approached me yet. Earlier, there used to be an auction for such goats. Today, only a few have approached me for cattle.”