Coronavirus: Aligarh chief mufti asks imams to avoid daily congregational prayers

The chief mufti of Aligarh on Thursday issued an edict to all mutawallis (caretakers) and imams of all mosques in the Uttar Pradesh district to not offer the daily congregational prayers in mosques to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

In his appeal setting to rest all speculation on the sensitive issue, Maulana Mohamed Khalid Hameed said Muslims should, as a very special temporary measure, refrain from offering the Juma prayers in mosques and instead offer the Zohar (afternoon) prayers on Fridays at their homes.

Also, the Mufti directed all imams to ensure that in all daily prayers, only the imam and the resident caretakers should pray inside the mosque and all other residents of a locality should pray at home.

He, however, mentioned as a rider that for Friday prayers in cases where there is a small mohalla mosque, a limited gathering could be considered provided mandatory precautions for social distancing are strictly followed.

The Mufti made it clear that the edict pertaining to Friday prayers is an extraordinary measure and he had taken this extreme step keeping in mind the unprecedented circumstances.