Ulemas asks believers to offer prayers from home

Hyderabad: Ulema and muftis belonging to different schools of thought have urged the members of the Muslim community to offer the mandatory five times a day prayers at home during the lockdown announced by the Telangana state government to contain the spread of Covid-19.

A meeting of ulema and muftis was held in Jamia Nizamia in Hyderabad to consider the prevailing situation and whether to issue an edict exempting the performance of the five time prayers in mosques. They could not reach a consensus and it was decided to issue only an advisory.

After the meeting, a joint fatwa was issued which stated: ‘In Sharia foregoing jamaat (praying in congregation) was permitted under certain conditions and circumstances and Covid-19 comes under such situation. Due to which people prefer to perform prayers in their homes instead of masjid (it) is not wrong in the eyes of the Sharia. There is hope that Allah will give them the same reward as (when) they perform in the masjid.”

According to Sharia, saying prayers in a mosque is obligatory and the reward is higher than saying prayers at home.

Moulana Mufti Khaleel Ahmed said most of the Muftis opined that mosques should not be locked.

However, Muslims have to be urged to say their prayers at home as a precautionary measure.

It was clarified that those who prefer to pray in their homes in the prevailing conditions will not be deemed as abdicators of a farz (canonical obligation) and “we hope with the Almighty Allah that they will get the same reward as if they say prayers in the mosque,” the moulana added.

He said the muftis felt that old people and children particularly should prudently refrain from attending mosques.

They also said the mats in the mosques should be removed and the mosque premises should be cleaned frequently.

They also felt that only farz and wajib namaaz (obligatory prayers) should be performed in mosques and sunnan and nawafil (optional but spiritually beneficial) can be said at home.

Mosque Committees were urged to lock the mosques immediately after farz prayers and open only at the time of prayers.

It was also agreed that those who develop symptoms of the coronavirus should not attend congregational prayers and must refrain from visiting mosques and perform prayers at home.

Imams and sermonizers were advised to shorten the sermon and prayers and implore special supplications.

All Muslims were advised to follow the virus protocol to check the virus from spreading and asked not to endanger the lives of others. Moulana Mufti Khaleel Ahmed said worshipping and taking precautions are both Islamic teachings and every Muslim should follow the teachings.

Muftis and scholars from various schools of thought attended the meeting.

Among the most notable were Moulana Mufti Giyas Rahmani, state president Jamiat Ulema Hind (Arshad Madani), Moulana Mufti Abdul Mughni Mazhaeri, city president of the Jamiat Ulema Hind (Mahmood Madani), and Moulana Dr Ahsan bin Mohammed al-Hamoomi.