Key Srinagar mosque suspends prayers, asks people to offer 'namaj' from home

Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid headed by moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in Tuesday asked people not to visit mosques for congregational prayers in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

"In light of the Islamic teachings and as is a precedent in the Islamic history during such times, Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid appeals to people to offer Namaz at home, as the coronavirus pandemic spreads. The Anjuman has already suspended all congregational prayers at Jama Masjid Srinagar for the time being," a spokesman of the anjuman said in a statement.

The spokesman said as the world battles Covid-19, Muslim communities around the globe like others, are also carefully considering how best to continue with our religious activities, while trying to minimise the spread of the coronavirus.

"With the increasing rate of transmission, the number of deaths, and limited medical facilities available, all Islamic scholarly and medical advice points towards the curtailment of social contact as the key towards reducing the spread," he added.