A hurried Raya to remember

I PREFER avoiding the risk of having to buka puasa in the car, so throughout Ramadan (when not with my family) I break my fast at home, and have a proper dinner at 8pm. Thankfully, most of my friends and colleagues agree with this logic.

On Sunday I was slightly late, so I was still parking my car at 8pm when the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal came on the radio to make his customary announcement. I always enjoy this bit of ceremony, with its traditional words and phrasings. For the first of Syawal he says, Hari Raya “Puasa”, not “Aidilfitri” as is now the norm among Malaysian Muslims in WhatsApp greetings.

And his phrasing of “bagi negri-negri seluruh Malaysia”, rather than simply “di Malaysia” places the states at the centre of attention, acknowledging that Islam is a state matter under the Rulers’ purview. Indeed, some readers may remember that in 1983 Perak and Johor celebrated Hari Raya a day earlier than other states as decreed by their respective Sultans, based apparently on sightings of the new moon by fishermen.

Of course, that historic episode has been intensely visited in the last few days because the Keeper said “Isnin 2 Mei” rather than the expected “Selasa 3 Mei”. Surprised, I waited for the news segment immediately after, where it would surely be confirmed. However, the presenter said nothing about this. Twitter, on the other hand, had repostings of the official statement. Evidently, news desks were caught completely unawares and did not have time to edit their bulletins.

Naturally, conspiracy theories abounded, as they always do when something unexpected happens. There was the notion of a disagreement between religious authorities (especially in light of the tussle over the recognition of a Sufi order I mentioned in my previous article), or the royals and the government, or the authorities deliberately causing chaos among the people, or even that the sole astronomer (out of 29) who saw the moon was under some sort of “influence”.

It is easier to make these accusations than to understand the real criteria of determining the date, which in Malaysia relies on rukyah and hisab, ie observation and calculation, involving a good dose of astronomy such as the moon’s elongation (ie the angle separating the sightline of the Earth and the Sun, and the Earth and the Moon).

A more pertinent question, given the ensuing pandemonium, was “wouldn’t it better to fix the dates beforehand so that millions won’t be unduly affected?”

For too long we have ignored the asterisk on the calendar and the footnote “subject to change”. Perhaps the demands of today’s world require more predictability, but any evolution on this issue must be achieved by consensus, as it has in the past.

Although the criteria used across the region is consistent, different results can occur, and as Malaysia celebrated with Indonesia and Thailand but not Singapore, I mused whether a Singaporean Muslim crossing into Malaysia on May 2 would be required to break his fast immediately, since fasting on 1 Syawal is forbidden.

At this juncture, the true economic impact of the early celebration is hard to gauge, as many businesses reported a boom in trading on Raya eve. Certainly, the voluntary industry of meme-creation went into overdrive, many referencing the early Raya in contrast with the two “lost years” due to Covid-19, the heroism of mothers rushing to cook rendang, or pet cats being placed in the kuali in the absence of chicken.

But after all the scrambling, Raya morning by most accounts went smoothly. In Seri Menanti, I joined my family at Masjid Diraja Tuanku Munawir, where the takbir Raya was sung especially harmoniously by a congregation that spilled out of the main prayer hall. As adults invited each other to their homes, children patiently queued for duit Raya here rather than at the istana as there was no massive open house this time.

But even among family members, names needed reminding, especially of kids who were mere babies three years ago – themselves visibly unaccustomed to large crowds – while the introverts among us quickly retreated upstairs. That, perhaps more than anything, signalled the return of normality!

Tunku Zain Al-’Abidin wishes readers Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin! The views expressed here are the writer’s own.