Defying the Sultan’s directive, Sokoto cleric Sheikh Musa Lukuwa led early Eid-el-Fitr prayers this Thursday, March 19.
The move followed a video address posted to his Facebook page on Wednesday evening, March 18, where Lukuwa informed his followers that the crescent moon had been sighted. Citing the sighting, he instructed his congregation to observe the two-unit Eid prayer on Thursday, March 19, deviating from the national schedule.
The move sets up a sharp religious divide in Sokoto. Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar had earlier declared Friday for the celebration after the moon was not spotted locally, but Sheikh Lukuwa dismissed the ruling.
Contending that the Niger Republic sighting is geographically and spiritually valid, Lukuwa insisted that Nigerian faithful should not ignore a sighting so close to home.
“When it comes to Sunnah, you either follow it or you don’t. Observing Eid on the first of Shawwal is the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW),” Lukuwa said.
“It is not permissible to celebrate Eid on the second day of Shawwal if the first has been confirmed. Doing so goes against the teachings of the Prophet.”
Challenging the status quo, Sheikh Lukuwa questioned why Nigeria often looks to Saudi Arabia for moon sightings while ignoring its immediate neighbors.
He argued that geographical proximity, not distant declarations, should dictate the start of Eid, making a sighting in Niger Republic far more relevant to the Nigerian faithful.
“The distance from here to Konni in Niger Republic is less than 100 kilometres, compared to over 500 kilometres to Kano and about 1,000 kilometres to Maiduguri. Yet people accept sightings from those cities but question those from Niger,” the cleric said.
Citing confirmed sightings by scholars in neighboring Niger Republic, Sheikh Lukuwa moved forward with Thursday’s Eid prayers. Despite the optics of the split, Lukuwa insisted his stance was “not an act of defiance” against the Sultanate, but a principled disagreement over the geographical validity of moon sightings.
“We usually follow the Sultan’s directive in starting and ending Ramadan. However, when it is clear that the moon has been sighted, we must act in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet, even if it differs from the Sultan’s declaration,” he said.
