Scientists, experts and Islamic scholars gathered in Istanbul on Sunday for a two-day event seeking to put an end to a conflict in the Islamic world: divisions over the Islamic calendar.
The event was jointly organised by the High Board of Religious Affairs of Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the European Council for Fatwa and Research. Following a 2016 attempt, the event was organised again to ensure a united calendar for prayer times and religious holidays in Islam, Daily Sabah reported.
The 2016 gathering managed to produce a statement for calendar unity, though its implementation did not take place in some countries.
Speaking at the event, Diyanet chair professor Ali Erbaş said he hoped that the International Prayer Times Congress would reach a conclusion that would minimize differences and disagreements in prayer times.
“The issue over prayer and fasting times is not new but it is crucial. It is worrying to see significant differences in practice on times of prayers, which is the clearest expression of religion and the most basic form of worship. Here, scientists from European and Islamic countries will discuss it and reach a conclusion,” he said.
The matter will be tackled both in terms of astronomy and in terms of fiqh or Islamic jurisprudence.
Ali Al-Qaradaghi, secretary-general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, citing his experience during a visit to a small town in Switzerland, said he came across a Muslim family with 16 different Islamic calendars with each member adhering to a different one.
“People see Muslims disagreeing with each other on everything. But we are aware that every disagreement is actually a blessing,” he said, adding that the event was the outcome of four years of work and that a scientific committee will steer the issue.
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Rushda Fathima Khan is the Staff Reporter for The Cognate.
