Ramadan: Saudi Arabia asks Muslims to perform prayers at home during holy month
- Muslims have been urged to perform Ramadan prayers at home because of the ravaging coronavirus
- According to the Muslim nation, this should be done if respective countries recommend it
- Going further, Saudi Arabia also advised against group meals during Ramadan
Saudi Arabia’s top Islamic authority has called on Muslims around the world to perform prayers at home during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Ramadan, marked by intense worshipping, is set to begin on April 23, but most Muslim countries have shut down mosques in an effort to contain the illness.
A feature of the fasting month is a special nightly prayer called “taraweeh,” usually performed in packed mosques.
The Saudi Senior Scholars’ Council said on Sunday that Muslims should perform communal prayers including the taraweeh at home if authorities in their respective countries recommend it.
“The Muslim should avoid gatherings because they are considered the main reason for spreading infection, according to related medical reports,” the council said, according to the state Saudi news agency SPA.
The council advised against group meals during Ramadan and underlined the importance of preserving life in Islam.
Observant Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to dusk during the lunar month of Ramadam.
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, has suspended congregational prayers in mosques and halted religious journeys to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina as part of strict measures to control the outbreak.
Saudi authorities have installed thermal cameras at the entrances of the Holy Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet Mohammed Mosque in Medina to check the body temperatures of visitors, Saudi-owned television Al Arabiya reported.
“Activating these cameras in the two holy mosques represents a quality step in the level of precautionary measures,” Abdel-Rahman al-Sudeis, the head of a state agency in charge of the two sites, said, according to Al Arabiya.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the federal government has advised Muslims across the country to continue to abide by the restriction order and other measures put in place by the government during the coming Ramadan.
Dr Sani Aliyu, the national coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce Force (PTF) on COVID-19 gave the advice in Abuja on Monday, April 13, during a joint national briefing of the committee, Daily Trust reports.
Aliyu said in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Muslims must ensure that they avoid crowded social and religious gatherings.
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