At least 22 mosques in Uttar Pradesh have decided to change the time of their Friday prayers because of Holi celebrations.
According to reports, the Friday Jumma namaz and the ‘khutba’ (discourse) at most of the mosques in Lucknow are usually offered at 12:30 PM. As Holi and Shab-e-Barat festivals will be celebrated across the country on the same day this year, at least 22 mosques in the city have decided to change the time and hold Friday prayers after 1.30 PM, announced the Islamic Centre of India (ICI).
The mosques that have changed their timings, include the Jama Masjid at Aishbagh Idgah, the Ek Minara Masjid at Akbari gate, Masjid Shahmina Shah, and Masjid Chowk.
The ICI had released a list of the old and new Jumma namaz timings and left it for the mosques to decide the timings. But, most mosques have agreed to begin the prayer at a different time instead of their usual times.
Now, the Namaz time has been shifted to 2 PM from 12.45 PM at the Jama Masjid Idgah. Similarly, Jumma namaz will be held at 1.30 PM at Masjid Shahmina Shah instead of the regular 1 PM. Maulana Rasheed, the leader of ICI and Imam of the Aishbagh Eidgah, issued an advisory earlier this week saying that mosques should change their Jumma namaz timings to maintain harmony and dignity by avoiding any untoward event on Holi.
With Shab-e-Barat also falling on the same day, clerics have also advised Muslims to visit mosques and the graves of their loved ones only after the Holi events are over. The alert advised Muslim men to conduct Jumma prayers at their local mosques rather than going out to a mosque further away from home.
Four years earlier, a similar situation had occurred when Holi and Shab-e-Barat were celebrated on the same day.
Shab-e-Barat is a mourning festival for Muslims. On Shab-e-Barat, Muslims visit the graves of their ancestors to pray for their souls and do collective worship to ask for forgiveness of their wrongdoings.
