Dozens of Al Muhdlor worshipers, scattered in various regions around Tulungagung District, East Java, on Monday held Eid al-Fitr prayers 1440 H earlier than the majority of Muslims in Indonesia.
Located at the Nur Muhammad mosque in Wates Village, Sumbergempol Subdistrict, Tulungagung, followers of Habib Sayyid Ahmad Bin Salim's teachings Al Muhdlor celebrated their first Eid by holding a feast together after the Id prayer was held at 05.30 WIB.
The prayer ritual was received by Habib Hamid Bin Ahmad Al Muhdlor, caregiver of the Islamic boarding school, who was also the son of the deceased Habib Sayyid Ahmad bin Salim Al Muhdlor and is believed to be a direct descendant to the Prophet Muhammad.
According to the statement of Habib Hamid Bin Ahmad Al Muhdlor, the celebration of the Id prayers were performed earlier after undergoing Ramadan fasting for 30 full days.
"We carried out the fast two days earlier than Muslims in general," said Habib Hamid, who was met by ANTARA the day before inside the modern Al Khoiriyah cottage complex.
He emphasized that carrying out the Id prayer and the early fasting of Ramadan was not decided arbitrarily.
"There are calculations based on expert Falaq's instructions. This belief has also been followed for a long time by Al Muhdlor worshipers, since the time of Habib Sayyid Ahmad bin Salim Al Muhdlor was alive," Habib Hamid said.
However, he stressed that he and the pilgrims who held the initial id prayers were not pleased to be covered by the media.
"Worship is a very personal matter. We want to go through worship calmly and do not need to be in the spotlight, which in turn triggers debate in the community because we are undergoing Id prayers earlier than Muslims in general," he said.
(INE)
Translator: Destyan H. Sujarwoko/ Eliswan
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
