PESHAWAR: The government and Ulema on Saturday agreed that prayer congregations and Taraweeh will be allowed during the holy month of Ramazan with some conditions.
The agreement was made during a meeting of Ulema chaired by President Dr Arif Alvi in Islamabad. President Arif Alvi said while sharing the details of the 20-point strategy that the government will have the option of reviewing Saturday’s recommendations during Ramazan if it was felt that the precautionary measures are not being adhered to or that the number of coronavirus affected people has risen sharply.
No carpets will be laid in the mosques and Imambargahs and prayers will be offered on the floor with a distance of six feet between the people offering prayers. The people are also required to make ablution at home and wash hands with soap before leaving for the mosque with masks on their faces. They are also required to observe social distancing and refrain from any sort of gathering after the prayers. There will be no gatherings for Iftar and Sehr in mosques during Ramazan.
It was decided the floor of the mosques will be washed with chlorine added water. For Namaz-e-Taraweeh, it was decided that it will be offered within the premises of the mosques and not on the roads and foothpaths. It was also agreed that mosque courtyards will be used for prayers instead of halls.
The meeting decided that people above the age of 50 years and those suffering from any disease will not come to mosques for prayers. Taraweeh and Aitkaf can also be arranged at homes.
The administration of mosques will also set up committees in order to ensure implementation of these precautionary measures. The president said the mosques’ administrations and Imams will also stay in contact with the district and provincial authorities and fully cooperate with them.
The meeting of Ulema happened a day after Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony Pir Noorul Haq Qadri called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to discuss measures for the upcoming holy month of Ramazan amid the coronavirus issue.
The prime minister directed to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for Ramazan in consultations with Ulema. The prime minister said he will hold personal meetings with Ulema and religious scholars next week.
