AS all over the world social distancing is being viewed as the only effective remedy to check the spread of the deadly Corona Virus, President Dr Arif Alvi deserves credit for making sincere and practical moves to promote the cause and save the lives. Knowing fully well that Ulema are one of the major stakeholders in implementation of the strategy of social distancing, he has not only been interacting with the religious leadership but also sought guidance on the crucial issue of congregational prayers from the Islamic world’s most prestigious university Al-Azhar. The efforts of the President have started bearing fruit as his consultative sessions with representatives of the religious community and communication with Al-Azhar have resulted in a sort of consensus to limit congregational prayers as part of the measures to stop the spread of the virus. In the light of Fatwa (religious decree) issued by Al-Azhar at the instance of President Alvi and his subsequent intensive discussions with Ulema, the Federal Government has wisely decided that mosques would remain open for prayers five times a day but the number of those praying together would be very limited. The Government is hoping that in view of growing threat of the virus, the religious leadership would cooperate and limit the congregation prayers to Imam, Khadim and members of the management committee of the mosques concerned. The authorities have not opted for total ban on congregational prayers despite the Fatwa that authorizes it to take necessary measures to save lives of the people and this has been appreciated by Pakistan Ulema Council. The Fatwa asked the older people to remain at their homes and follow the stated medical guidelines as all evidences clearly show that public gatherings, including prayers, constitute a conducive environment for virus. It cited Abu Dawood narrating Ibn Abbas, who recounted that Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said that fear of sickness is an excuse for missing Juma payers. Moreover,AbdAl-Rahman Ibn Auf stated that the Prophet (PBUH) forbade those with unpleasant smell to avoid going to mosques in order to protect other faithful from disturbance. No doubt, closure of mosques and any ban, on whatever reasons, on congregational prayers are sensitive and emotional issues and no one can deliberately do that but these are trying times and protection of lives has become the major concern. It is good that religious scholars assured that they would “comply with the instructions” issued by the government in order to curb the Corona Virus pandemic during meeting with President Arif Alvi on Thursday. It was after this meeting that Sindh Government issued a formal notification allowing only three to five people designated for mosques to offer congregational prayers. The notification added that the general public will offer prayers at home as per the guidance of religious scholars. It is hoped that heeding to the appeal of the President, Ulema would not just cooperate on the issue of congregational prayers but also play a proactive role in creating required awareness among the people on how to protect themselves and the society. As the virus spreads mainly due to person-to-person contacts, congregational prayers and Tawaf have been restricted in Saudi Arabia as well. The governments across the globe are opting for lockdown to control the situation but the objective of keeping schools, offices and markets closed would not serve the purpose if people continue to gather for other reasons. The issue assumes significance and relevance as majority of those infected in Pakistan are those who travelled to Iran for religious purposes and an entire Union Council had to be quarantined at Bhara Kahu area of the Federal Capital where infected Tableeghi Jamaat personnel made a mosque their temporary abode. The threat is so serious that it might jeopardize even Hajj this year and already the Saudi Government has conveyed to other countries including Pakistan not to sign agreements for facilities of Hajj with Saudi companies. There are various examples elsewhere in the world where careless or care-free attitude of the people worsened the conditions and the governments there find it difficult to handle the situation. Thousands of people have lost their lives and billions of dollars are being spent but the threat is not mitigating. We have clear lessons to learn and the challenge of Corona Virus can only be overcome if each and every citizen plays a responsible role. We would be prolonging the duration of the crisis by not extending due cooperation in the fight against Covid-19.
