The Friday congregational prayers will remain suspended for consecutive fifth week today at Waqf affiliated masjids in Kashmir in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Waqf Board officials said that the congregational prayers and regular prayers at the masjids and shrines will continue to remain suspended as a precautionary measure to contain COVID-19.
He added that people need to remain alert to defeat the pandemic “even though the number of COVID-19 cases are declining.”
On 30 April, the Waqf Board had announced suspension of regular prayers for the time being at the masjids and shrines affiliated to it in view of the coronavirus. The decision had been taken after threadbare discussion with the Islamic scholars.
A Waqf Board official confirmed to the Greater Kashmir that regular prayers would continue to remain suspended in view of the pandemic.
“We are assessing the situation every week. After a threadbare discussion, it was decided that masjids and shrines shall continue to remain temporarily shut for the five daily prayers as well as the weekly Friday prayers,” he said.
The Islamic scholars in Kashmir have urged the people to avoid organising large gatherings, and advised the Imams of local masjids to deliver brief sermons on Fridays and seek Almighty’s refuge from the coronavirus outbreak.
The local Masjid Committees have also urged worshippers to follow advisories by the administration in letter and spirit. The worshippers have been asked to wash hands before entering and leaving the masjids and shrines.
“The authorities must ensure that all the religious sites and the places where congregations are held are sanitized on regular basis,” they said.
In view of the spurt in Covid-19, the Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid (AAJM) has already announced suspension of all congregational prayers at Kashmir’s grand masjid for some time.
This year, large congregational prayers on the occasion of Shab-e-Qadr, Jumat-ul-Vida and Eid were also suspended.
The religious places had reopened in August 2020 after remaining closed for around five months due to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Zeashta Devi Prabandhak Committee (ZDPC) has also announced “deferment of celebrations of annual birth anniversary of Mata Zeashta in view of the pandemic”. The annual celebration of the birth anniversary of Mata Zeashta was scheduled to be held on 29 and 30 May.