COVID-19: People gather for Friday prayers in Pakistan despite fatwa against it

Worshippers attended Friday congregations in several mosques across Pakistan despite a fatwa (religious edict) issued by a top global Islamic body to suspend congregational prayers to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.

In Islamabad, Friday prayers were held at the Faisal Mosque where nearly 40 people offered prayers by maintaining some distance.

There were also reports of people attending Friday prayers in Sindh and Balochistan provinces despite presence of police personnel to discourage people from attending it.

The government had issued a notification limiting the number of people between three to five who can attend Friday and congregational prayers in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The Grand Imam Shaikh of Egypt's Jamia Al Azhar, an authority on Islamic injunctions, and the Supreme Council in Egypt, on the request of Pakistan President Arif Alvi, on Wednesday empowered the head of the state to suspend Friday prayers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The fatwa stated that public gatherings, including congregational prayers at mosques, could result in spread of coronavirus and the governments of Muslim countries had full jurisdiction to cancel such events.

However, religious leaders of the Barelvi and Deobandi sects did not support the decree issued by Al-Azhar.

President Arif Alvi, during his conference with the clergy, had requested them that they should advise people to stay indoors and offer prayers in their homes to help in containing the spread of the disease.

The ulema assured their complete support and said that they would comply with the instructions given by the government, an official statement said.

Contradicting the statement, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Chairman of the Ruet-i-Hilal Commitee and the head of board for madarsas of Barelvi school of thought, said, the impression about the outcome of meeting with President Alvi is wrong. We did not agree with the fatwa issued by Al Azhar."