Eid Mubarak – A surprise arrival

I went to bed on Sunday night thinking Eid was going to start on Tuesday – that was the consensus at coffee after the evening service, but the crescent moon must have been spotted. I woke up early on Monday morning and there was none of the usual queues of labourers piling into buses, but the cemetery- my regular early morning circuit- was unusually full of cars and people. Reading about this, there is clearly considerable debate among Islamic scholars as to whether this practice is appropriate for Eid.Here are two opinions

• Eid is a day of celebration! How is going to the graveyard reflective of that? .

• Praying God to have mercy on the deceased and to forgive them their sins is highly encouraged, particularly if they are close relatives. Therefore, visiting the graves of one’s parents and other relatives on the day of the Eid or other days and praying for them is an act worthy of praise.