Abdul-Rahim Naa Ninche thank you for helping us render an unqualified apology. Indeed we have errd. For being a leader is not an easy task.Youcarry everyone’s weight. It is never right to abuse your fellow brother or sister in any form whatsover. I always but knew his eminence to have been on the wrong path when it comes to eidul-fitr day declarations until I read your piece. This is because I believe in calling the spade a spade.

Your article contains much sense and sensitivity yes. Therefore it’s natural to get backlashed. I do not write to disagree with you but to add up a view. It might be insubstantial but I believe it’s important. Some might share in it others may not. Just like Abdul Rahim, I am not a scholar nor any source of authority. I am but just a muslimah also putting in efforts to adhere to the fitra upon which Allah has created mankind.

I do not want to write so much and end up saying nothing. I grew up in a Tareeqatul Tijaniya home. We have always prayed on the day the national chief imam observed the Eid prayers with no complaints. But as I grew I got more enlightened on how the eid was supposed to be done. So I chose what I believed to be right. To cut the long story short, I want to lay down my view.

My colleague in writing said a letter has to be sent to the government weeks before a holiday is declared. His words were ” Per information available to me, this notice must be done in writing and sent to the presidency before about two weeks to the actual date. Determining the date for the Eid-Ul Adha was not so much of a big deal but Eid-ul Fitr was. Whether or not Ramadan will be twenty nine or thirty depended on sighting the moon on the twenty ninth day. It will be impossible to tell government to grant us a holiday the twenty ninth day of Ramadan should the moon be sighted. Government will then have to prepare a communiqué to all government agencies during that night which is impossible.”

Then since ramadan could be 29 or 30 days depending on the lunar, why don’t the office of the chief imam propose for a day after the 30th day? So that we go according to the teachings of the prophet. If it happens to be 30, the next day we pray and still have the holiday that same day. If it happens to be 29, we pray on the supposed 30th day which is the first of Shawal and still have our holiday the next morning. Unless things are done at the convinience of some people. This is religion. It does not belong  to us. We ought to follow the commandments of Allah and teachings of prophet  Muhammad (S.A.W) and have a cohere worship. Let’s not forget that one day we would be assembled for account. May Allah forgive us our known and unknown tresspasses. Aami

Again we are sorry