ISLAMABAD: As the government planned to legalise an agreement reached with religious clerics from different schools of thought about three years ago to have unified prayer timings in Islamabad, the clerics have decided to oppose the move.
After several rounds of negotiations with clerics belonging to Shia, Deobandi, Barelvi and Ahle Hadis sects to offer prayers at uniform timings, the ‘Nizam-i-Salaat’ calendar was unveiled in May 2015 by Sardar Mohammad Yousuf, the minister for religious affairs, in the presence of Imam-i-Kaaba.
But after about three years when the Ministry of Religious Affairs decided to legalise the Nizam-i-Salaat agreement, it drew the ire of the clerics.
Eight members of an advisory council constituted by the government in this regard held a meeting on Monday and criticised the government decision to frame the draft law.
The clerics said punishments and fines proposed in the draft were ‘un-Islamic.’
They said the Ministry of Religious Affairs had been unfair by rejecting their demand to enforce prayer breaks in offices, markets and other places.
Say punishments and fines proposed in draft for violating Nizam-i-Salaat calendar are ‘un-Islamic’
The ministry has recently prepared the draft ‘Unified Timings of Azaan and Prayers Act 2018’.
The draft proposes that whoever fails or refuses to comply with the provision of Section 6 of the Act will be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may be extended to six months and with a fine which may be extended to Rs5,000 or with both.
Section 6 of the draft relates to the observance of prayers and azaan timings in accordance with the calendar.
The draft also contains a clause which states that in case a guilty person failed to pay the fine the amount will be recovered from them as arrears of land revenue.
The religious ministry is expected to forward the draft to the Ministry of Interior for input after which it will be sent to the Cabinet Division for final approval.
An official of the Ministry of Religious Affairs said the draft was in line with the government’s agenda to tone down religious extremism in the country and an input in this regard had been obtained from other countries, including Saudi Arabia.
The calendar prepared in 2015 is divided into two parts.
The part one will start from October 15 to April 14 according to which Azan time for Fajr prayers would be 4:49am and prayers will be offered at 5:19am.
Zuhr Azan will be at 1pm while prayers will be offered at 1:15pm, Asr Azan would be called at 3:57pm and prayers at 4:7pm. Azan for Maghrib will be called at 5:41pm while prayers will be offered at 5:43pm in uniformity in whole Islamabad. Isha Azan would be called at 7:21pm and prayers will be offered at 7:36pm.
The second phase will be in force from April 15 to October 14 according to which the morning (Fajr) Azan would be called at 4:10am and prayers will be offered throughout the capital at 4:40am.
The Azan time for Zuhr would be 1:15pm and prayers 1:30pm, Azan for Asr would be at 4:49pm and prayers offered at 4:59pm.
Maghrib Azan would be at 6:45pm while prayers will be offered at 6:47pm and the Azan for Isha will be called at 8:15pm and prayers will be offered at 8:40pm. All the year Friday Azan will be called for all sects at 12:45pm.
Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2018