Sources in Nawabad Township of Ghazni say that Taliban officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have warned Shiite worshippers to perform the Maghrib and Isha prayers separately and according to Sunni jurisprudence.
According to the sources, Taliban officials emphasized that if the Maghrib and Isha prayers are performed together, the mosque will be closed and worshippers could face legal action and imprisonment.
Based on Shiite jurisprudence, followers of this sect are permitted to perform the Maghrib and Isha prayers consecutively and at one time. In Shiite religious sources, this method of worship is recognized as an accepted ruling.
The official website of Ali al-Sistani also states that Shiites may perform the Maghrib and Isha prayers together and in sequence, describing this practice as one of the traditions passed down from the Prophet of Islam.
Sources say Taliban officials described this practice as a “religious innovation” and stated that the evening and night prayers must be performed at two separate times.
According to the sources, the mosque’s imam responded that combining the Maghrib and Isha prayers is an accepted ruling in Shiite jurisprudence and that he has no authority to change it. He also stressed that Shiite religious authorities should issue opinions on such matters.
Sources added that Taliban officials rejected these explanations and warned that if the practice continues, the mosque will be shut down and the imam will be arrested.
Shiite worshippers in Nawabad Township of Ghazni say this action amounts to restricting their way of worship and interfering in their religious beliefs.
According to local residents, people and religious scholars have tried to explain through religious and jurisprudential arguments that combining prayers is a recognized practice in Shiite Islam, but Taliban officials have ignored these explanations.
These residents say their main concern is that the pressure has gone beyond social issues and has now reached the restriction of Shiite religious rituals and methods of worship.
The Taliban authorities in Ghazni have not yet officially commented on the matter.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
