ISLAMABAD: All religious sects in the federal capital will pray at the same time from May 1, 2015 and all mosques will call out the Azaan simultaneously.

The formal decision to adopt unified prayer timings was made on Wednesday, at a high level meeting chaired by the Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Mohammad Yousuf.

The committee which made the decision included two clerics from each of the four major sects in the capital- Shia, Barelvi, Deobandi and Ahle Hadith. A member of the committee told Dawn, the major difference in the prayer timings was at Maghrib and the issue was resolved amicably between the committee members.

Mufti Jameel ur Rehman Farooqui, a member of the committee, told Dawn there was a difference of eight minutes between the call for prayer by Barelvis and Deobandis and Ahle Tashi (Shia) at Maghrib. “The Barelvis and Deobandis will delay the time by five minutes and Shias will call the Azan three minutes earlier to have one time for Maghrib,” he said.

“The federal government has decided, in principle, to introduce Nizam-e-Salat with unified timings in Islamabad. Only the mode of implementation remains to be finalised,” Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said.

The move is aimed at promoting sectarian harmony

He said the issue was being discussed for almost two months. “It is a major step in promoting sectarian harmony,” he added.

Under the system, the timing for the call to prayer will be decided according to seasonal changes and the Azaan calendar will be distributed by the government to all mosques.

Meanwhile, representatives of Wafaq-ul-Madaris-al-Shia in Islamabad said the call for evening prayers can only be made at the correct time and not earlier.

“For Shias, the time for Maghrib Azaan is when the sky’s redness is gone and this is the time observed in Saudi Arabia as well, but it is traditional among Shia muezzin to further delay the Azaan by 2-3 minutes to recite the Quran,” Dr S Mohammad Najfi said.

“If this delay is cut down, the time gap between Azaans of various sects can be easily reduced,” he added.

Meanwhile, the decision was welcomed by traders and business community of the federal capital who called it a revolutionary step.

“This will be a revolutionary step for the Pakistani society as we hear Azaan for up to two hours in a day,” Khursheed Qureshi, President Jamiat ul Qureaish Meat Welfare Association said.

“I assure you that the business community is happy because there will not be any confusion regarding prayer timings,” Mr Qurshi added. The ministry is currently working the modus operandi for implemention of the ‘Nizam e Salat’ and it is expected that the Aauqaf department of Islamabad administration would be responsible for ensuring that the same timings are observed.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play