'Wuquf' Day to fall on Thursday

JAKARTA (JP): The Islamic ritual of wuquf (standing) on the Plain of Arafat, Saudi Arabia for haj pilgrims will take place Wednesday, coinciding with the ninth day of the Islamic month of Dzulhijjah.

Idul Adha or Sacrifice Day for Moslems will therefore fall on Thursday, April 17, according to the Indonesian consulate general in Jeddah. Haj pilgrims worship this occasion by slaughtering cattle and giving the meat to the poor.

In Indonesia, the Sacrifice Day, which is also a national holiday, will fall on Friday, April 18.

Wuquf is the climax of pilgrimage rites. All pilgrims must perform this rite. The sick and elderly are transported to the plain, 20 kilometers (13 miles) from Mecca, by ambulance.

The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) has advised Moslems to perform their regular Friday prayer service despite the Sacrifice Day prayer earlier in the day.

The East Java chapter of Muhammadiyah, the country's largest socioeducational organization, advised Moslems to perform the Friday prayer as shown by Prophet Muhammad.

Deputy chairman of the council of ulemas Ali Yafie said the Sacrifice Day rites denote solidarity. "The stipulation that Moslems say their Idul Adha prayer together on that day teaches us that Moslems have to establish solidarity," he was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday. (12)