News

April 19, 2020

Govt decides to lift restrictions on Taraveeh, group prayers

Muhammad Anis

ISLAMABAD: A consultative meeting between the government and religious leaders chaired by President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday agreed on a code of conduct and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to allow prayer congregations and Taraveeh during the holy month of Ramazan.

The 20-point code of conduct containing precautionary measures was formulated in consensus with the religious scholars and the provincial governments, including Azad Kashmir, to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The governors of four provinces and president Azad Kashmir also participated in the meeting through video-link. The provincial governments and district administrations would be responsible to ensure implementation of the SOPs.

Announcing the details of the strategy, President Arif Alvi said the government would have the option of reviewing recommendations during Ramazan if it was felt that the precautionary measures are not being adhered to or that the number of coronavirus affected people has risen sharply. During the meeting, it was decided that no carpets would be laid in mosques and Imambargahs and that the prayers will be offered on the floor with a distance of six feet between those offering prayers. The people are also required to make ablution at home and wash hands for 20 seconds with soap before leaving for the mosque with masks on their faces.

The SOPs also required to observe social distancing and refrain from any sort of gathering after the prayers. There will be no gatherings for Iftar and Sehr in mosques during Ramazan. The people coming for namaz won’t shake hands or hug each other. Every person coming for namaz will offer prayer at the place marked for this purpose. It was decided the floor of the mosques will be disinfected with chlorine before every prayer. For Namaz-e-Taraveeh, it was decided that it would be offered within the premises of the mosques and not on the roads and footpaths. It was also agreed that mosque courtyards will be used for prayers instead of halls. It was also suggested that children and people above the age of 50 as well as those suffering from any disease including flu, fever and cough would not come to the mosques for prayers. In the current circumstances, it was also recommended that people observe Aitkaf at homes.

President Arif Alvi said that the administration of mosques would also establish committees to ensure implementation of these precautionary measures. He said the mosques' administrations and Imams will also stay in touch with the district and provincial authorities and fully cooperate with them. The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) has announced support to the declaration agreed between the government and Ulema on proposed strategy for prayers in mosques during Ramazan.

In a joint statement, leadership of the PUC including Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Ashrafi, Allama Abdul Haq Mujahid, Maulana Abdul Karim Nadeem, Maulana Rafiq Jaami, Maulana Ayub Safdar, Pir Asadullah Farooq, Maulana Aseedur Rehman, Maulana Zubair Zahid, Aslam Siddiqui, Allama Tahirul Hasssan, Maulana Muhammad Shafi Qasmi and Maulana Abubakar Sabri stated that amidst prevailing lockdown scenario due to COVID-19, public should ensure social distancing as a safety measure against the pandemic. The PUC stated that teachings of Quran and Sunnah have exalted importance of human life and in this perspective, Ulema along with the representatives of the government devised a unanimous strategy to keep open the mosques during the holy month of Ramazan.

Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi also stated that Muslim unity is needed amidst prevailing lockdown scenario.

Renowned religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani while talking in Geo News programme, ‘Naya Pakistan’ hosted by Shahzad Iqbal said that after the code of conduct, it is the responsibility of the mosque committees and Ulema to ensure its implementation in letter and spirit. He said that distance of six feet between the rows of prayers and between the Namazis was discussed, but WHO advises three feet distance between two persons and in mosques three-feet distance would be maintained between the two Namazis while 6-foot distance between the rows of prayers would be maintained. He urged all the religious scholars and mosque administrations that implementation of all the SOPs must be ensured and if they failed to do so, they would be responsible for the damage.

Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk

 

 


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