Just as planned, Lucknow's 168-year-old Sibtainabad Imambara played host to an unprecedented joint Shia-Sunni namaz on Eid-ulAdha on Friday to send out a message of sectarian unity .
The prayers at the Shia monument were held as part of a citizen-driven initiative, `Shoulder to Shoulder'. According to mutual agreement, a Sunni imam, Maulana Shehzad, led the namaz and devotees followed as per their individual manner. Shia and Sunni prayers on Eid are usually held separately in Lucknow.
Endorsement for the joint namaz had already been obtained from top religious authorities, including Maulana Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani of Iran. Moreover, clerics from both sects in the city had welcomed the initiative.
Mohammad Haider, a key organizer, said they wanted to promote brotherhood, “the very soul of Islam“. “All members of the community want to co-exist peacefully and progress, instead of suffering because of conflict created by people who have vested interests and self serving motives,“ said Atif Hanif, who is also part of the core group behind “Shoulder-to-Shoulder“.
The organisers said that clashes between the two sects had given the community and the entire city a bad name. Their aim was to give a message of unity .
The initiative had begun as a WhatsApp group in Lucknow. A Facebook event that was subsequently created went viral soon. “We know each other since our childhood,“ the Shoulder-to-Shoulder FB page said, inviting people to the event.
“We shared the same classrooms, same dreams, same fears, ate from the same lunch box. We even share the same memories. But we never stood shoulder to shoulder for Eid prayers. It's time for a change.“
The prayers at the Shia monument were held as part of a citizen-driven initiative, `Shoulder to Shoulder'. According to mutual agreement, a Sunni imam, Maulana Shehzad, led the namaz and devotees followed as per their individual manner. Shia and Sunni prayers on Eid are usually held separately in Lucknow.
Endorsement for the joint namaz had already been obtained from top religious authorities, including Maulana Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani of Iran. Moreover, clerics from both sects in the city had welcomed the initiative.
Mohammad Haider, a key organizer, said they wanted to promote brotherhood, “the very soul of Islam“. “All members of the community want to co-exist peacefully and progress, instead of suffering because of conflict created by people who have vested interests and self serving motives,“ said Atif Hanif, who is also part of the core group behind “Shoulder-to-Shoulder“.
The organisers said that clashes between the two sects had given the community and the entire city a bad name. Their aim was to give a message of unity .
The initiative had begun as a WhatsApp group in Lucknow. A Facebook event that was subsequently created went viral soon. “We know each other since our childhood,“ the Shoulder-to-Shoulder FB page said, inviting people to the event.
“We shared the same classrooms, same dreams, same fears, ate from the same lunch box. We even share the same memories. But we never stood shoulder to shoulder for Eid prayers. It's time for a change.“
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