Our Board has evaluated the case of the establishment of prayer five times a day as well as the Friday Prayer with the community due to the new type of coronavirus which has been declared as a global epidemic by the World Health Organization and has not yet been cured and therefore caused the death of thousands of people within the framework of the information provided by the competent authorities. Accordingly;
●          The new type of coronavirus rapidly spreads from person to person in its environment and becomes an epidemic in a very short time;
●          People who carry the disease pose a great danger to the other people in the same environment, as the virus is not noticed at the first time it is transmitted;
●          The places where people stay in community have a high risk for the disease to become an epidemic by creating a favorable environment for the spread of the virus in question.  

With the pacing increase in the number of cases in our country, the organizations where people came together were canceled as a precaution by the public authorities and it was decided to close many places where people stay as a community in crowds. Considering this extraordinary situation, it is understood that the risk of spreading the virus may increase in the mosques and masjids if the prayers continue to be performed with the community.

In this respect, Islam whose main purpose is to protect the human life never gives a chance to the practices that will put people’s lives at risk.  Thus, Prophet Muhammad (saw) drew the attention to the practice of quarantine by saying “If you hear that plague disease has occurred somewhere, do not enter there and if plague disease occurs where you are, do not leave that area.” Also he stressed to be precautious against epidemic diseases by saying “The person with the infectious disease should not go near a healthy person.” Therefore, until the risk of spreading the disease disappears, it has become a necessity to suspend the establishment of the prayers with the community in the mosques and masjids, especially the Friday prayers.

In this process, it was decided that it would be appropriate to perform the Duhr prayers individually instead of Friday prayers, to continue to cite Adhans which are the poetry of Islam, and to keep the mosques open for those who want to perform prayers individually by taking necessary measures.

REASON:

Islam set the basic principles to be followed in order for people to live in peace and security and to fulfill the requirements of their servanthood. In this direction, Islamic scholars have regarded the protection of the five values ​​listed as life, religion, generation, mind and property (zaruriyyât-i hamse) as vitally indispensable to human and the society.

While the principle of protection of religion requires compliance with the orders and prohibitions dictated by the religion; the principle of protection of life primarily requires the immunity of the right to live and the elimination of the dangers that will end one’s life. Accordingly, while the Muslim is obliged to fulfill the requirements of his servanthood (worship) on the one hand, he is also responsible for taking measures to protect the life of both himself and others. As it is known, it has been seen as a basic condition to be healthy in performing some of the worships.

Our religion has put the immunity of human life under protection and ordered the elimination of the elements that will harm it. The need to apply preventive measures for health protection and to be treated following the illness has been built on this very basis. Informing that the cure of every disease has also been created (Bukhari Medicine, 1; Muslim, Salam 26/69), Prophet Muhammad (saw) drew the attention to the importance of being treated by saying “O, the servants of Allah (swt), get treated!” (Ibn Majah, Medicine, 1). Accordingly, first, the preventive measures should be applied in order to live healthily and not prepare a ground for the diseases, and one should get treated in case of sickness.

In addition to this, it is a requirement set by our religion to be careful against the health risks both as individuals and the society and especially to take the necessary measures against the infectious diseases. In this respect, to serve the objective of preventing the contagious diseases from spreading in this context, the Messenger of Allah (swt) drew the attention to the practice of quarantine by saying “If you hear that a contagious disease has occurred somewhere, do not enter there and if the contagious disease occurs where you are, do not leave that area.”  (Bukhari, Medicine 30; Muslim, Salam 32/92-96.) And by another hadith of his, Prophet Muhammad stressed that one needs to follow a precautious path against the contagious diseases by saying “The person with the infectious disease should not go near a healthy person” (Bukhari, Medicine, 53).

This sensitivity of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) was reflected in his actions. As a matter of fact, when it was found out that there was a person with an infectious disease in a delegation who came to report their loyalty to him, he did not handshake with him by saying “We accepted your loyalty, you can return home” (Muslim, Salam, 36/126) and avoided from the close contact with those who were exposed to some infectious diseases.

This sensitivity on the matter which was seen with the Prophet Muhammad (saw) reflected on the practices of his companions as well. As a matter of fact, Hazrat Umar (ra) on his way to Damascus, when he heard that there was an epidemic there, he decided to return as a precautionary measure. Regarding this case, when those who were in company asked to him, “Are you running away from the fate written by Allah (swt)?” he responded them by saying “Yes, we are escaping from the fate written by Allah (swt), again to the fate written by Allah (swt),” (Bukhari, Medicine, 30; Muslim, Salam 32/98) emphasizing that the power of Allah (swt) encompasses everything, and implied that it is the duty of the human to take precautions. Likewise, it is stated in the scripts that the Companion Amr b. As acted similarly for this matter and approved by Hazrat Umar (Ibn Kesir, al-Bidayah van-Nihayah, VII, 79).

It is stated in the Qur’an that a number of elements of Prayer such as prostration and ruku can be abandoned in case of fear as relevant to the subject as it is cited that “Maintain with care the [obligatory] prayers and [in particular] the middle prayer and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient. And if you fear [an enemy, then pray] on foot or riding. But when you are secure, then remember Allah [in prayer], as He has taught you that which you did not [previously] know.” (al-Baqarah, 2/238-239). This indicates that some fardhs may be abandoned in the cases of necessity.

In addition, it can be concluded that it would be appropriate to suspend the prayer with the community for a while in relation to the pandemic with the risk of death according to the basis of “minor damage is ignored to prevent greater harm.”

In this context, in case of heavy rain, which can be considered as a milder cause than an epidemic disease, the prayer suspensions with the community have been in question. As a matter of fact, Abdullah b. Abbas said to the muezzin in a rainy day as (while reciting adhan) “Do not say ‘Hayya ‘ala-s-Salah!’ after saying ‘Ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah’, but say (Sallu fi buyutikum) ‘Establish your prayers in your homes!’”. When this practice seemed to be frowned upon by the people, Abdullah b Abbas (ra) said: “Someone better than me, the Messenger of Allah (swt) did this…” (Bukhari, Friday, 14) From this hadith, it is seen that in the extraordinary situations, the prayer with the community was suspended.

In this context, when a disease that was declared as a “global epidemic” by the health authorities occurs, in order not to expose both the individual and public health to danger and to realize the principle of “protecting life” that Islam considers as an indispensable value, it would be inevitable to postpone the participation to the prayers with the community and Friday prayers until such epidemic is cured entirely.  Because it is accepted as a basic sensitivity in our religion not to endanger the health of someone else, in addition to being healthy to participate in these worships which are performed collectively (Bukhari, Adhan, 160; Muslim, Masajid, 17/68-77; Abu Dawud, Salat, 217). The command of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) as “To harm has no place in Islam as well as responding to the harm with harm” (Muwaṭṭa, Aḳdiya, 31; Musnad, I, 313; Ibn Majah, Ahkam, 17) requires this.

In the event that the threat of an infectious disease gains a global dimension that threatens the whole society and even the humanity, the public authority has the power to temporarily postpone collective worship as well as the ability to prohibit being in public areas and to engage in collective activity. In accordance with the orders of Islam as “Do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction!” (Baqarah 2/195); “Don’t kill yourself!” it is necessary to comply with this decision of the competent authorities.

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