Regarding Eid Prayer At The Istiqlal Mosque, This Is The Explanation Of The High Priest Nasaruddin Umar

Prof. Dr. KH. Nassaruddin Umar, MA (Photo: Savic Eabos VOI)

JAKARTA - Ramadan 1443 H will soon pass. Preparations for the Eid greetings have also been made. This includes the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, which will hold Eid prayers. But until now Prof. Dr. KH. Nasaruddin Umar, MA, as the high priest of the Istiqlal Mosque has not been able to announce the exact date of the Eid prayer.

"What is clear is that the Istiqlal Mosque as a state mosque will hold Eid prayers in accordance with the provisions made by the government, in this case the Ministry of Religion, which always holds an isbath meeting in determining the 1st of Ramadan," he said when visited by VOI in its office at the Istiqlal Mosque, Central Jakarta, Thursday 28 April.

The date of 1 Shawwal 1443nH is estimated (based on the calendar) to coincide with May 2, 2022. But Nasaruddin invites the ummah to wait for the final decision on the isbath session to be conducted by the government on May 1, 2022.

There is no question about whether there are people who carry out Eid before or after the date set by the government for them. "We still appreciate the people who celebrate Eid before the date set by the government. And we also appreciate those who celebrate Eid after the date set by the government. However, the Eid prayer at the Istiqlal Mosque is only performed once, namely on the date set by the government," he stressed. .

"Please, if there are people who celebrate Eid before the date set by the government or after the date set, they are welcome to hold Eid prayers in other places. Please, there are no obstacles for that," he continued.

Is there a limitation on the number of worshipers who can pray Eid al-Fitr at the Istiqlal Mosque because it is still in a pandemic atmosphere, according to Nasaruddin, they are still waiting for status from the central government and the DKI Jakarta regional government. "What is clear is that we refer to the restrictions set by the central government and the DKI Jakarta regional government," he said. What is clear is that during this month of Ramadan, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia has not imposed distance between congregations. Saf in the fardu prayer is like before when the pandemic has not hit. "So far, the Istiqlal Mosque has always implemented health protocols," said Nasaruddin Umar.