Hajj & Eid ul Azha

Mufti Munib ur Rehman has announced that in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Eid ul Azha would fall on 22^nd August 2018. According to the Islamic chronology Eid is the day after Hajj, when the Hujjaj offer the sacrifice, get their hair cut and undo their ahraam. Now Hajj can ONLY be performed at Makkah and NOWHERE else in the world, and it would take place there on the 20^th of this month. So the day after Hajj, that is Eid would and should fall on the 21^st of August this year. It looks very strange to me that I watch Hajj being performed at Arafaat live on the tv, but I say, no, my Hajj will be tomorrow. Where will I perform my Hajj ? At Data Darbar, Pak Pattan Sharif, Sehwan Sharif, Bari Imam or Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar?  I just cannot perform Hajj anywhere other than at Makkah and Arafaat. As simple as that.  Then how can I say no, our Hajj will be tomorrow and Eid a day after that? It has got to be as per where it is being perf! ormed ACTUALLY.

Why do we do so or are made to do so because we take Eid to be on the 10^th of Zilhujj and the Hajj to be on the 8^th & 9^th of this month?  And, as the sighting of the new moon takes place in our part of the world a day or two after it appears in the Saudi Arabia, our Hajj and Eid also fall the same number of days after their actual dates at Makkah.

I don’t know how and wherefrom we have tied ourselves to these dates?  Is there any mention of them in Qura’n? No.  As a matter of fact Qura’n lays down 3 or more months for Hajj  (not Shahr –one month, nor Shahrun – two months, but Shahrein – three or more months) But that’s a separate debate.

I think 8,9 & 10^th of Zilhajj are taken as the Holy Prophet (SAW) would have performed Hajj on these dates.  Holy Prophet (SAW) performed only ONE hajj. Could he (SAW) have performed it on some other dates had he lived another year or so?  Who knows?

We can observe all other Islamic events, Ramazan, Eid Milad un Nabi, Muharram etc according to the local sighting of the moon but Hajj can only be performed according the appearance of the moon at Makkah and nowhere else in the world.

Please also remember Qurbani can be offered up to three days after Hajj. And if our Hajj is a day late, then we could go on sacrificing animals up to our 3^rd day  but that would be the 4^th day of the ACTUAL hajj!!!   Will our Qurbani performed on the 4^th day of Hajj be also acceptable?

So, could someone more learned please enlighten us that should we in Pakistan observe Eid ul Azha ALWAYS on the 10^th of ZilHujj whether it coincides with the Eid day at Makkah or not? 

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)