COVID-19: Pakistan clerics announce to resume congregational prayers

KARACHI: Top clerics of the country on Tuesday announced to resume congregational prayers in the mosques while maintaining social distancing after an over-two weeks’ ban amid lockdown due to coronavirus, ARY NEWS reported.

The congregational prayers were first banned in the Sindh province on March 26 over fears of coronavirus spread due to mass gathering.

Announcing to resume the prayers in a meeting of clerics hailing from all school of thoughts, Mufti Taqi Usmani said that it was compulsory for them to adopt preventive measures taken by the government and the Friday and other congregational prayers would be offered while adopting all such measures.

Issuing guidelines for people coming to offer prayers in the mosques, the cleric said that they should make ablution at homes and only offer obligatory prayers at the mosques.

On Fridays, the prayer leaders should only preach regarding coronavirus preventive measures during Urdu sermons, he said and also emphasized on keeping social distancing during the prayers due to a special situation faced by the country.

Taqi Usmani said the Sindh government had violated its agreement with the clerics and nabbed and registered FIRs against the prayer leaders.

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Speaking on the occasion, another top cleric Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman said that the lockdown rules do not apply on mosques and those offering prayers should adopt social distancing and other preventive measures suggested by doctors.

“The tarawih and other congregational prayers will continue in a routine manner,” he said.

Mufti Muneeb also condemned what he called injustices from the police against prayer leaders and said that from now on there should be no hindrance on offering prayers at the mosques.