Shia-Sunni joint prayer in India's Lucknow city on Eid

The historic Imambara Sibtainabad in the heart of Lucknow will play host to an event that has no precedent in the city's history on this Eid—a joint Shia-Sunni prayer, says the Times of India.

As part of a citizen-driven initiative called 'Shoulder to Shoulder' (S2S), a joint Shia-Sunni prayer will be held in the Imambara lawns to send out the message of universal brotherhood, the Times of India report says.

Interestingly, the Eid prayer will be led by a Sunni cleric in a venue that is often perceived as "a Shia monument".

The initiative is significant in light of global sectarian strife, particularly in Iraq, Syria, and Pakistan, where large-scale violence often has roots in sectarianism.

Prayers of Shia and Sunni on both Eids are usually held separately in Lucknow.

While prominent Shia mosques include the Asafi Masjid in Bada Imambara, the largest Sunni congregation is at Eidgah.

According to an estimate, while there are 125,000 Shias in Lucknow, the number of Sunnis is five times higher, says the Times of India report.

The S2S initiative began as a Whatsapp group in the city, which eventually led to the creation of multiple sister groups as the app allows maximum of 100 members, it says.

A Facebook event was subsequently created and has gone viral since. An e-invitation to the event has in fact been shared hundreds of times on the social media website.

Mohammad Haider and Atif Hanif, who are part of the core group, said this is an attempt to find common ground, forget artificial differences, and accentuate the similarities between the two sects. "‎Lucknow, a city of rich cultural, linguistic, architectural and culinary heritage, is also infamous for sectarian strife.

Almost every year, big and small clashes between the Shias and Sunnis make headlines nationally. Shops are burnt, bones are broken, curfew is imposed for a few days, and some youths end up in prison, losing all prospects of a bright future," Haider told the Times of India.

Because there is a minor difference in the way Eid prayers are offered by both the sects, the group wrote to world-renowned Shia scholar Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Husseini Al-Sistani based in Iraq as well as Iran's Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei for approval, the paper said.

Both the scholars confirmed that the joint prayers are permissible. An S2S delegation also met noted clerics from Lucknow, including Maulana Kalbe Jawad, Maulana Khalid Rasheed, Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, and Maulana Mohammad Athar. The clerics appreciated the initiative and extended support to the cause. In fact, Maulana Kalbe Sadiq will also be joining the prayers.

There were other challenges but they were ironed out gradually with mutual understanding among the group members.

These included fixing the time for the prayer. Sunni Muslims, unlike the Shias, can offer sacrifice only after prayer, so the prayers are often held early in the morning. For Shias, it usually happens much later in the day.

“But after a mutual discussion among the core team members, we settled for 8am," said Atif Hanif, highlighting that the initiative is not backed by any political party or organisation.

Group members say the response has been fantastic. "We're expecting lawyers, businessmen, writers, journalists, IT professionals, and students, among others. In fact, many non-Muslims will also be volunteering and having Sewain (sweet dishes) and Kashmiri chai (tea) with us at the venue post the prayers. Everyone's invited," Hanif told the Times of India.

"This is a fantastic effort. I joined the initiative as it promotes universal brotherhood, strengthening the social fabric of our nation," said Asif Khan, who is into construction business.

"This is the need of the hour in a country like ours which is so diverse. I associated myself with it as it promotes the true idea of India," Mujtaba Khan, an engineer, told the Times of India.

Even those who are not part of the group or unable to join the prayer because they are in some other city, state or country are supporting the initiative enthusiastically.

A message by Salim Parvez says, "S2S is a befitting reply to separatists even of the cleric type who misguide the community with the ulterior motive of building a fan following. They defeat the very purpose of praying by bringing in unfounded nuances— like who is eligible to enter the masjid and who is not, or what rituals make a namaz (prayer) acceptable to Allah and which ones don't. There is no basis or proof of their assertions, only a design of creating conflict."

Others have lauded the initiative as a "revolution" and "a historic step" towards bringing the two sects closer and uniting them.

Sunni and Shia Muslims share all the fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith, including the Qur'an, Hajj, charity and fasting.

Differences stemmed not out of spiritual differences, but political conflicts.