IQBAL HADI ZAIDI
EACH Muslim whether living in an Islamic country or otherwise, irrespective of his or her topographical location, very much waits for long year to annually celebrate both Eids (Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Azha) with great pomp and show and quite fortunately just a couple of days before only Eid ul Azha 2020 had fallen on Friday, 31 July in Kuwait where I am living while it was marked alike in my beloved Pakistan the very next day on Saturday 1st August. We Muslims both male and female, governor and governed, rich and poor, black and white, educated and uneducated, married and unmarried, separated and widow, tall and short, healthy and sick are ordained by none but Allah that we must offer five prayers a day on each day of a week, month, year and decades and it should continue alike till the person breathes his/her last to be honest, rather dead honest. Likewise, Allah obliges that all Muslims irrespective of their respective circumstances whether living in the East or the West, South and North must pray during summer and winter, during dry season and rainy days inclusive of bright day time and dark night, be it summer and winter or for that matter spring and autumn one must pray without any excuse come what may. What surprises me the most and I definitely very much regret to pen that despite Allah’s instructions not many Muslims go to their mosques which are far too many all-around to offer prayers, even one prayer if not all the 5 prayers of the day which is very much shocking to be honest and those who skip any prayer of any day must be very much ashamed of themselves to tell you the truth. I have no hesitation and or reluctance to pronounce without least exaggeration that over all the situation is very much gloomy and similar at all the places on global scale, of course with some difference in percentage only, because one way or the other all Muslims very much regretfully do not pray five times a day in mosques in Kuwait which is a Muslim country in any case and I am living here since 1978 or it is Saudi Arabia which is known world over because of holy Ka’aba or Masjide-Nabvi where I have worked also during 1976-78 period or for that matter it is India where not only millions Muslims live but I was born there in 1943 The mosque where I pray is just at stone away distance from my residence and the mosque gifted by a Kuwaiti philanthropist is very much spacious one which is fully air-conditioned, fitted with cozy carpet and laced with sound system. There is a huge chandelier in the middle of the main hall right under the mosque dome. Each row accommodates around 90 persons which touch 100 during peak days like Friday and month of Ramazan in general and last 10 days of Ramazan in particular. On a normal day on average only two to three rows have worshippers otherwise the rest part of the mosque is all empty. My goodness! On Eid day not only the mosque had over-flown to be truly honest but also one could see people praying in the open without any air conditioner as well which is very much encouraging and not just for me but for many other my co-worshippers also could see so many new faces, not just for one or five, for the very first time in the mosque but it is almost impossible to answer the question as why and how it could happen alike on Eid day? I do understand that all the new faces are not those who were non-Muslims but just yesterday they shunned their religions and turned Muslims so how they could be found in the mosque when they were not Muslims. The other possibility could be that the new faces are those who reside in other cities or alternatively they are resident of a different locality than this but came here to spend Eid with their friends and relatives hence they could not be seen before which is quite but natural and accepted but my question is so many new faces cannot be guests come what may. The answer is simple though as bitter as quinine which we will have to swallow simply because that 99.9% new faces offering Eid-ul-Azha Namaz are none but our neighbours living very much within us but one way or the other they very much knowingly and intentionally offer just two annual prayers of Eids who can never ever be seen before and after come what may. Hold your breath and only exhale when asked to do alike. Unbelievable must be believed as I can say even on Holy Quran that not even 10% offered Zohar prayers right on Eid-ul-Azha very well proves beyond slightest iota of doubt that for centuries many Muslims pray only two Eids whom I name as our Annual Muslims. —The writer is a former diplomat, based in Kuwait and occasionally contributes on National Press.
