Government of Pakistan has ordered suspension of all congregational prayers including Jumma (Friday prayers) in all mosques till further order. To this effect, the Government including Armed Forces issued has enforced compliance. In some institution written orders said, “With immediate effect Congregational and Jumma prayers have been suspended and all mosques will remain closed till further orders”. The closure of Mosques has been ordered including the grand Shah Faysal Mosque in federal capital Islamabad. On 27 March like many other mosques Shah Faysal Mosque remained closed for general public for Friday prayer. In local mosques authorities prevented Muslims from offering Jumma prayers in the mosques and asked them to pray at their homes.

            If we recall, the Islamic Ideological Council on 17 March 2020, called for keeping the Friday prayers short by reciting a brief Khutba and urged the elderly and children not to visit mosques. As per the details, a meeting of academics chaired by Maulana Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi was held on 17 March 2020, in which a joint Fatwa on the Coronavirus was issued, saying that everyone is at risk for coronavirus, must follow Islamic law of the deadly virus, “All political and religious meetings should be postponed immediately, the congregation meetings should be reduced to Arabic sermons (Khutba), and the distance between the ranks of the mosques should be reduced. Prayers should be arranged in the mosques and the floor or Chatties of the mosques should be cleaned with soap before each prayers and that Al-Qa’im-ul-Akhram-ul-Allah should be called to promoting the Corona virus”. According to the fatwa, patients, elderly persons should pray at home instead of mosques”.

The Media and Government sources claim that the Supreme Ulema Council (SUC) of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University has issued a special Fatwa on the request of Pakistani leadership, banning all congregational prayers at mosques to stem the spread of coronavirus outbreak. The western media reported that in Pakistan, people partially followed a ban on Friday prayers across the country, as people in remote areas did not heed to the call for staying away from typical Friday congregations. Accordingly, in major cities attendance at mosques was much lesser than regular times, according to local media.

It is interesting to note that despite UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson address to the nation on 23 March asking, “From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home.Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households. ” In his address, he said people will only be allowed to leave their home for very limited purposes including shopping, one form of exercise a day e.g. a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household, medical need and travelling to and from work.  It would be interesting to note that with the exception of few odd all Churches in United Kingdom will remain open on Sunday 29 March.

In Bangladesh, a Muslim country with over 165 million people, there was no official ban for Friday prayers. The highest religious body, the Islamic Foundation, did not interfere but call on people not to attend the congregational prayers in areas with a high risk of COVID-19. All mosques in Bangladesh remained open rather attendance of during congregational prayers has increased. In African countries including Nigeria and Sudan people continued their prayers as usual with zeal and enthusiasm. In Maldives too Muslims were stanch believers that Almighty Allah would help them out of the crisis. In USA discarded to suspend services due to financial issues. However, people like  Sydney’s Catholic archbishop, Anthony Fisher, said masses would continue across Sydney, however they would be limited to no more than 100 people, in accordance with the government’s new ban on gatherings.

The Coronavirus is reality but not so serious as being projected on our digital screens or on media. Not even fraction will ever be infected whatever the case may be. The statistics reflected that anywhere around the world even less than one percent dies who were pronounced COVID-19 positive. The scene and the events are dramatized purposely and fake videos like Italian soldiers burning mass dead bodies of those  affected by coronavirus are, in fact, test our belief. It has become a fashion for world leaders to claim Coronavirus (COVID-19) positive to ensure people remains afraid of Virus rather the Almighty God, the Allah.  

A number of synagogues, churches, mosques and temples have already shifted to online platforms for online sermons and prayers. They call it “spiritual Communion”. They intend to close all physical places of worship and satisfy religious obligations watching them on television or computer screens or on their Smartphones. One wonders countries are successfully going digital in all walks of their lives within days and weeks. Those who have planned it do not want to miss the golden opportunity to completely defeat our beliefs as Davidians, Jews, Christians and Muslims. Who else can save us but the Almighty God, it is high time to awake our conscience and neither let viruses like Coronavirus to be successful by taking all precautions nor allow our Divine Faith to be shaken.