19:45, 17 July 2015

Disputes about date of Eid ul-Fitr in Dagestan stem from different interpretations of Sharia

Believers at the feast's prayer on the occasion of the end of the Ramadan near the Old Mosque of Moscow on Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street. July 16, 2015. Photo by Said Saparov for the "Caucasian Knot"

Some residents of Dagestan refused to support the transfer of the holiday Eid ul-Fitr (Uraza Bayram) to July 18, and began fast-breaking today. Believers of various Islamic trends should support the single holiday announced in the republic, since it contributes to unification of Muslims, said the residents of Dagestan, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The Ramadan (or Ramazan) fasting is named in the honour of the ninth month of the Muslim calendar – in that very month, according to the legend, the angel Jabrail delivered to Prophet Muhammad the first divine revelation, which formed the basis of the Muslim holy book – the Koran.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in Dagestan in 2015, the first day of Eid ul-Fitr will be July 18, not July 17, like in most other regions of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD).

The differences in defining the date of the end of fasting are based on different views on the Sharia, said Umar Butaev, an observer of the Internet edition "Islamic Civilization".

In the opinion of the blogger Murad Mustafinov, the controversies around the date of the holiday indicate a lack of solidarity among different trends of Islam.

The transfer of the holiday in Dagestan was an attempt to unite local Muslims, said Timur Gadjizharaev, the head of the charity fund "Nadezhda" (Hope). In his opinion, such decisions help Muslims of different trends to hear each other.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Magomed Tuaev

Source: CK correspondent