A section of Muslim leaders are opposing the Idd-ul-Adha celebrations slated for Friday (tomorrow) as announced by the Chief Kadhi, Sheikh Hammad Kassim.

The religious leaders, drawn from the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Coast branch, Kenya Assemblies of Ulamaa and Imams and several Mombasa Imams said the celebrations should instead be held on Saturday.

Addressing the press on Thursday in Mombasa, the leaders asked faithful to ignore the Friday prayers and refrain from sacrificing goats and sheep and instead observe the religious festivities on Saturday.

They said the decision by Sheikh Kassim to arbitrarily announce Friday for the day of the special Idd-ul-Adha prayers was likely to divide muslim faithful.

Shariff Muhthar Khitamy, Hajji Moosa Sodha and Sheikh Ali Musa said the Chief Kadhi had erred in following Saudi Arabian calendar in announcing the special prayers instead of abiding by the decision of the East African Council of Moon Sighting which favours Saturday.

On Monday, Sheikh Kassim announced that the Muslim fraternity will hold Idd-ul-Adha prayers this Friday and urged faithful with means to slaughter animals and distribute the meat to the poor in the society.

Shariff Khitamy blamed the controversy on Saudi Arabia which, he says, relies on calculations instead of the sighting of the new crescents.

Idd-ul-Adha (the festival of sacrifice) celebrations are observed after millions of Muslims, who have travelled to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the annual Islamic Hajj Pilgrimage.

The final pillar and one of the finest institutions of Islam is the Hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca and its performance is obligatory at least once in a lifetime upon every Muslim with financial means.

The Hajj is to commemorate the divine rituals observed by prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismael who are known to have been the first pilgrims to the house of God on earth at Mecca.

The climax of the Hajj is marked by offering a sacrifice to celebrate the end of the religious obligation.

The offering of the sacrifice has become an annual celebration to commemorate the occasion when prophet Ibrahim was ordered by God to offer his only son Ismael in sacrifice but the life of the son spared and ransomed by a ram.