All over America, many masjids are closed for all activities including daily prayers, Juma\u2019, Janazah and Eza temporarily due to the fear of coronavirus pandemic. Many States have banned all gatherings of 10 and more. The masjid closure during emergencies is in line with both the State requirements and Islamic principles.<\/p>\n
Firstly, the Prophet SAW suspended prayers in his masjid during heavy rain. His disciple Abdullah bin Abbas (RA) suspended daily prayers and Juma\u2019 due to windy and rainy conditions. \u201c\u2019Abdullah b. \u2018Abbas reported that he said to the Mu\u2019adhdhin on a rainy day: When you have announced\u201d I testify that there is no god but Allah; I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,\u201d do not say:\u201d Come to the prayer,\u201d but make this announcement:\u201d Say prayer in your houses.\u201d He (the narrator) said that the people disapproved of it. Ibn \u2018Abbas said: Are you astonished at it? He (the Holy Prophet), who is better than I, did it. Jumu\u2019a prayer is no doubt obligatory, but I do not like that I should (force you) to come out and walk in mud and slippery ground.\u201d (Sahih Muslim) Abdullah bin Umar did the same. \u201cIbn \u2018Umar reported that he summoned (people) to pray on a cold, windy and rainy night, and then observed at the end of the Adhan: Pray in your dwellings, pray in your dwellings, and then said: When it was a cold night or it was raining in a journey the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) used to command the Mu\u2019adhdhin to announce: Pray in your dwellings.\u201d (Sahih Muslim) Imam al Bukhari narrates: \u201cNarrated Nafi`: Once in a cold night, Ibn `Umar pronounced the Adhan for the prayer at Dajnan (the name of a mountain) and then said, \u201cPray at your homes\u201d, and informed us that Allah\u2019s Messenger (\ufdfa) used to tell the Mu\u2019adh-dhin to pronounce Adhan and say, \u201cPray at your homes\u201d at the end of the Adhan on a rainy or a very cold night during the journey.\u201d (Sahih al-Bukhari) It was narrated that Ibn \u2018Umar said: \u201cOn rainy nights or on cold windy nights, the Messenger of Allah (\ufdfa) would summon his announcer to call out: \u2018Perform your prayer at your camps.\u2019\u201d (Sunan Ibn Majah) It was narrated from Ibn \u2018Abbas that the Prophet (\ufdfa) said, on a Friday that was rainy: \u201cPerform your prayer at your camps.\u201d (Sunan Ibn Majah)<\/p>\n
Based upon the Ahadith, there is a consensus among the four Sunni schools of thought that one can miss the daily and weekly congregational prayers due to heavy rain, wind and mud.<\/p>\n
Imam Ibn Rajab (d. 1393 CE) explaining the above ahadith maintained that:<\/p>\n
\u0648\u0623\u0643\u062b\u0631 \u0623\u0647\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0644\u0645 \u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e\u0649 \u0623\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0637\u0631 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0637\u064a\u0646 \u0639\u0630\u0631 \u064a\u0628\u0627\u062d \u0645\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0647\u064f \u0627\u0644\u062a\u062e\u0644\u0641 \u0639\u064e\u0646 \u062d\u0636\u0648\u0631 \u0627\u0644\u062c\u0645\u0639\u0629 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0645\u0627\u0639\u0627\u062a\u060c \u0644\u064a\u0644\u0627\u064b \u0648\u0646\u0647\u0627\u0631\u0627\u064b.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe majority of scholars agree that rain and mud constitute genuine excuses for missing the Juma\u2019 and Jama\u2019at during the day or night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u0642\u064e\u0627\u0644\u064e \u0627\u0644\u062a\u0631\u0645\u0630\u064a: \u0642\u064e\u062f\u0652 \u0631\u062e\u0635 \u0623\u0647\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0644\u0645 \u0641\u0650\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0642\u0639\u0648\u062f \u0639\u064e\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u062c\u0645\u0627\u0639\u0629 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0645\u0639\u0629 \u0641\u0650\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0637\u0631 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0637\u064a\u0646.<\/p>\n
\u201cImam al-Tirmidhi stated that scholars have permitted missing the Jama\u2019ah and Juma\u2019 due to heavy rain and mud.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u1e24anbal\u012b legal scholar Imam Ibn Qud\u0101mah (d. 1223 CE) wrote, \u201cA man may be excused for not praying Friday prayer [jumu\u02bfa]\u2026 because of rain that makes the clothes wet, or mud that causes annoyance or stains the clothes. It was narrated that Ibn \u02bfAbb\u0101s said to the caller of prayer on a very rainy day: \u2018When you say: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, do not say \u2018come to prayer\u2019 but rather say \u2018pray in your houses\u2019. Some people found that strange, so he responded to them: \u2018Are you surprised by what I just said? A person better than me did just that [referring to the Prophet].\u201d (Al-Mughn\u012b) Contemporary scholar Shaykh Ibn \u02bfUthaym\u012bn explained this exception as follows, \u201cIn the past, people used to suffer because of mud, because the marketplaces had dirt floors, and when rain fell it became muddy and slippery, so it was very difficult for people to attend the mosque. If this happens, then he is excused. But nowadays, that does not cause any problem, because the markets are paved and there are no dirt floors.\u201d (Ash-Shar\u1e25 Al-Mumti\u02bf)<\/p>\n
It may be legitimately argued that concerns about heavy rain, even in the past, are less severe than the current infection concerns in America. It is pertinent to mention here that all the above examples are for individuals that they are allowed not to come to the mosque due to the above sketched excuses. Closing the mosques for everyone is for Umum al-balwa (widespread pandemic and hardship). The current situation of Coronavirus is pretty much within this category of pandemic. The numbers of infected with COVID 19 are skyrocketing and the health system is already inundated with patients. The only thing we can do at this stage is to curtail the transmission and help in flattening the curve. The masjid closure is meant just for that.<\/p>\n
Secondly, genuine fear and sickness are the two excuses specified in the Prophetic statement which ask people to attend congregational prayers at masjid. \u201cNarrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: If anyone hears him who makes the call to prayer and is not prevented from joining the congregation by any excuse\u2013he was asked what an excuse consisted of and replied that it was fear or illness\u2013the prayer he offers will not be accepted from him.\u201d (Sunan Abu Dawud) Muslim jurists have agreed that genuine safety, family and property concerns are valid reasons to miss out the Juma\u2019 and Jama\u2019at. The current pandemic is a genuine threat to human safety and family wellbeing.<\/p>\n
Thirdly, masjid can be the hotbed of viral transmission. Many attendees make wudu at masjid. They touch the ground with seven parts of the body for Sajdah (feet, knees, hands and forehead). There is a possibility of viral transmission through Jama\u2019ah prayer because some people are not careful. The COVID 19 droplets are heavily transmitted via touching the infected surface. People change spots during the prayers. There is no way to maintain the needed distance between attendees of daily prayers. In addition, some attendees defy CDC guidelines and shake hands, hug and kiss as an expression of strong faith and reliance upon Allah SWT.<\/p>\n
Fourthly, The Messenger of Allah said, \u201cAn ill person should not mix with healthy people.\u201d [Sahih Muslim] The Prophet also said, \u201cRun away from a lepor as you run away from a lion.\u201d [Sahih al-Bukh\u0101r\u012b] Leprosy is very infectious disease. Therefore, taking precautions to avoid the spread of infectious disease is something prescribed in Islam. The underlying principle for the proper reaction to an infectious disease such as Covid-19 is the statement of the Messenger of Allah, \u201cDo not cause harm, and don\u2019t get harmed [l\u0101 \u1e0darar wa l\u0101 \u1e0dir\u0101r].\u201d [Muwa\u1e6d\u1e6da\u2019 Imam Malik)]<\/p>\n
Fifthly, the Prophet (SAW) prohibited people from attending masjid if they carry the bad odor of garlic and onion. Imam Ibn \u02bfAbdul Barr (d. 1071 CE) wrote: \u201cAnything that would inconvenience one\u2019s fellow worshipers in the mosque such as anyone afflicted with diarrhea\u2026 foul odor due to illness\u2026infectious virus, or anything else that would inconvenience the public, it is permitted for people to keep such an individual away, as long as the ailment is present. Once the condition ceases, they may return to the mosque.\u201d [At-Tamh\u012bd] The Coronavirus is far more deadly than garlic stink.<\/p>\n
Sixthly, observance of daily Jama\u2019at and weekly Juma\u2019 is legally permitted outside the masjid in case of necessity. They can be established at home, in office or in a park. The bare minimum for the Jama\u2019ah is three persons (an Imam along with two muqtadi\u2019s). According to the Hanafi School, the same goes for Juma\u2019. Therefore, the Juma\u2019 and Jama\u2019at can continue outside the masjid without interruption under these unfortunate circumstances. That is how it was done during the epidemic of A\u2019mawas in Syria (18 AH), during the Crusades and on many other occasions in the Islamic history. The community was also permitted to do Zuhr prayer instead of Juma\u2019.<\/p>\n
There is nothing wrong in holding the Salat al- Janazah outside the masjid. In reality it was often done outside the masjid during the Prophetic times. It is mostly done in the graveyard or in an adjacent place in the contemporary Muslim world.<\/p>\n
In light of the above, many Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia (except in the Haramain), Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Dubai and many others have totally shut down the masjid for all activities. This total closure of masjids is in line with Islamic and State guidelines.<\/p>\n
[March 19, 2020]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
All over America, many masjids are closed for all activities including daily prayers, Juma\u2019, Janazah and Eza temporarily due to the fear of coronavirus pandemic. Many States have banned all gatherings of 10 and more. The masjid closure during emergencies is in line with both the State requirements and Islamic principles. Firstly, the Prophet SAW […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1764,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[513422,524999,32713],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1764"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1681,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions\/1681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/coronaguidance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}