The practice of hugging each other during Eid was termed as a wrong practice by the Deoband based Darul Uloom in a Islamic seminar last year.

This year it has emerged as an essential measure at the time of ‘social distancing’ in the wake of covid-19 when the country is set to observe first Eid-ul-fitr celebrations in lockdown when the Centre and the states have repeatedly urged the people to maintain social distancing to prevent the covid-19 pandemic.

On 4 June, 2019, Darul Uloom incidentally had issued a fatwaand the Ulema (Muslim scholar)was recognised as having expertise and knowledge of Islamic sacred law – too had subscribed similar view to the fatwa.

Darul Uloom had stated: “Meeting each other with hugs especially on Eid or making it as a ritual for Eid hasn’t being demonstrated anywhere in the sacred books and thus, it will be concluded as a biddat (wrong thing).

“There’s no special significance for three hugs during Eid. It’s just a cultural practice of expressing love and brotherhood in the subcontinent of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Arab countries, they don’t do this and they simply shake hands and kiss the cheeks according to their local tradition,” said Said Kazi Samshul Islam, a Haji from Pandua, Hooghly who visits Mecca every alternate year.

Haji Chowdhury Samshul Haq, a retired school teacher from Burdwan town had been to Mecca during Eid-ul-Adha and said: “Islamic religious instructions have got nothing to do with hugging three times after the Eid prayers. Expression of greetings differs according to the local traditions of any country.” In the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, he stated: “Besides offering Eid namaaz at home instead of visiting a mosque or any Eidgah, we must stay away from hugging during the pandemic situation this year as social distancing has become highly essential.”

The Chairman of Bengal Waqf Board, Mohammed Abdul Ghani and even the body of Imams, to avoid mass gathering already have warned people not to hold mass prayer to celebrate Eid with the given circumstances this year. The Central Eid Committee holds the grand assembly at Burdwan Town Hall ground, which has been suspended for the year, said Mohammed Noor Alam, secretary of the Committee adding: “We have also placed a poster on this in Town Hall.”

The Burrabazar mosque in the town also is known for a considerable community gathering, which too has suspended Eid assembly this year, said Mohammed Iliyas, secretary of the mosque committee.

He added: “We have already instructed the Imam’s body and suggested the locals to arrange Eid namaaz at their individual houses.”

This year, the pandemic has made mask and sanitizers a part of common life and in Eid, specially designed masks engraved ‘Eid Mubarak’ (see picture) has been made available in Burdwan market. “It’s selling high as this has become a new craze in this year’s Eid,” said Ramala Das, a roadside mask vendor near the iconic Curzon Gate in Burdwan town.