How did the Corona virus affect the religious rituals of Muslims?

Osama Abu Al-Rub

With the emergence of the new Corona virus "Covid-19" and its spread in 81 countries, countries have taken measures related to the practice of Islamic religious rites. What are the most prominent of these measures?

The Corona virus first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, and as of Wednesday evening, it had caused 3,321 deaths, 94,380 infections, according to an Anatolian statistic, according to official announcements.

At the end of January, the World Health Organization declared a state of emergency on an international scale to cope with the outbreak of the virus, which sparked a state of terror in the world.

Here we review the most prominent reactions and actions taken by states and bodies with regard to Islamic religious rituals:

International Union of Muslim Scholars
Last Sunday, the Secretary-General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars Ali Al-Qarah Dagi issued a ruling that it is permissible to temporarily prevent the performance of Umrah and Hajj rituals in the event that the Coronian epidemic breaks out categorically and most people think that pilgrims or some of them may become infected with the epidemic due to crowding.

In the fatwa: With regard to the prevention of Umrah and Hajj, it is "most likely that if the epidemic spreads definitely or if there is a prevalence of thought - through specialized experts - that pilgrims or some of them may become infected with this epidemic due to crowding, then it is permissible to prevent Umrah or Hajj temporarily to the extent that it spoils the spoiler."

He added that the jurists agreed that it is permissible to leave the pilgrimage when the road is feared, but that the ability (to perform the pilgrimage) will only be achieved with security and safety, and therefore epidemic diseases are among the permissible excuses for leaving the pilgrimage and Umrah provided that the fear is based on the prevalence of the thought of the existence of the disease or its spread due to Hajj and Umrah.

Al-Qara Daghi stressed that fear of spreading the disease due to Hajj and Umrah is appreciated by the specialists from the doctors, and a decision will be issued in this regard from Saudi Arabia.

He pointed out that if the door to Umrah or the pilgrimage is kept open, then the appreciation goes back to the country in which the epidemic appeared by preventing its citizens from performing it for fear of transmitting the epidemic to pilgrims and pilgrims.

Regarding quitting Friday prayers, Qara Daghi said that it is permissible to leave Friday and congregation when epidemics spread because they are frightening, but this is conditional on fear being achieved and not just an illusion.

He indicated that mosques may not be closed unless the epidemic spreads, explaining that when government or health orders are issued to close schools and universities, mosques may be closed.

On the same level, the Secretary General of the World Federation of Muslim Scholars said that Islam requires the introduction of the causes of epidemic prevention, treatment and quarantine as imposed by the competent health authorities.

He stressed that it is not permissible for someone who was in the country where the epidemic is to go to another country so that the disease does not spread.

Al-Qarra Daghi stated that Islam prohibits entering the affected area because it is not permissible to cause the person to perish for himself, in addition to the inadmissibility of visiting patients except for treatment with the introduction of all medical protection.

He also stressed the need to disclose that he felt that he was infected with the epidemic, so as not to cause harm to others and the spread of epidemics.

Saudi
The Saudi authorities decided on Wednesday to suspend Umrah "temporarily for citizens and residents" in the Kingdom, fearing the arrival of the new Corona virus at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, about a week after it suspended pilgrims.

The decision came two days after the kingdom announced the first case of the virus, a citizen who had arrived from Iran via Bahrain.

The Saudi News Agency quoted an official source in the Ministry of Interior as saying that the Kingdom decided to "temporarily stop Umrah for citizens and residents in the Kingdom (...) to limit the spread of the Corona virus (...) and prevent its access to the Two Holy Mosques."

And I attributed the decision that the two holy mosques "witness a permanent and heavy flow of human crowds, which makes the issue of securing these crowds of paramount importance," and the Kingdom also announced a few days ago the suspension of tourist entry visas to its lands.

Umrah attracts millions of Muslims annually from different countries of the world, and the decision to suspend its performance comes about two months before Ramadan, when the number of pilgrims doubles.

18.3 million people performed Umrah, including 11.54 million Saudis and residents in 2018, according to official figures in the Kingdom.

It was not clear whether the unprecedented decision on this scale will affect the pilgrimage season scheduled for next July, while two Saudi officials confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the latest measures do not yet apply to the pilgrimage.

Last year, Hajj attracted about 2.5 million people, while the competent authorities had expected before the spread of the virus that the number of pilgrims would reach 2.7 million in 2020.

The pilgrims and pilgrims in Mecca are vulnerable to infection from viruses and diseases due to the conditions of severe crowding in places of prayer, eating areas and transportation.

In 2003, the Kingdom banned the entry of pilgrims from certain Asian countries when SARS spread.

"We have hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every month from different nationalities from all parts of the earth. If (the virus) arrived here and spread from here, it will become a global epidemic, as people will be infected and return to Their countries. "

He stressed that "the safety of people is more important than performing Umrah" that can be performed at any time of the year.

And last Sunday, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Abdul Aziz and Zanan said in a press conference that 469,000 pilgrims were present in the Kingdom when the decision to suspend Umrah for pilgrims arriving on Thursday was issued.

But he indicated that 105,000 of them left the country until Sunday morning, which is expected to have doubled on Wednesday evening.

The Saudi authorities announced that the floors of the Sacred Mosque, free of carpets, were washed four times a day, and 13,500 carpets were removed from prayer sites.

The director of the purification of the Sacred Mosque, Jaber and Danaani, explained that the authorities "use the best cleaning and disinfection means, and they sweep all carpets and perfume it daily."

Iraq
The holy Husseinian threshold in Iraq said in a statement today, Thursday, that it has decided not to hold Friday prayers this week in the city of Karbala due to concerns related to the Corona virus.

"The holy Husseinian threshold was decided not to hold Friday prayers for this week because of the current sanitary condition that Iraq is going through," the statement said.

And the governor of Sulaymaniyah, Haval Abu Bakr, issued during a press conference on Wednesday an order banning any gatherings and holding football matches on the governorate's stadiums without an audience.

The Fatwa House in the Sulaymaniyah Province has also announced that it will stop performing the congregational prayer and Friday prayer until further notice.

And the Supreme Committee for Issuing Fatwas in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq decided the day before yesterday to suspend Friday prayers in the areas where Corona virus infections appeared.

The head of the Union of Islamic Religious Scholars in the region, Abdullah Weissi, said during a press conference held in the city of Erbil that the Supreme Committee for Issuing Fatwas had taken some decisions to preserve the lives of citizens and to prevent corona virus.

Weissi added that the Ifta Committee considered citizens ’commitment to health instructions to prevent Corona as a legal and religious duty, and decided to stop the Friday prayer and congregational prayer ceremonies in areas where the disease is widespread.

He continued, "We decided to stop all religious ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and other religious ceremonies in all regions of the region, and to consider the deceased as a result of the Corona virus as martyrs in accordance with the provisions of Islamic Sharia."

Weissi pointed out that it was decided to stop religious lessons in all religious, jurisprudence and other religious educational schools, similar to schools, institutes and universities.

The governor of Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, announced last Monday the ban on establishing consolation councils and religious events until the 21st of this month for fear of an outbreak of the Corona virus.

The governor, First Sophie, said that it was agreed unanimously not to allow condolence councils to be set up in mosques, halls and homes in the governorate until March 21, and only accept condolences at the time of burial in cemeteries in order to protect citizens.

In turn, the President of the Union of Muslim Scholars in Kurdistan, Mullah Niyaz Ragheb, announced that they and the Fatwa Committee decided in coordination with the directorates of Endowments and Health to stop holding the funeral ceremonies until March 21 this year, and there is no religious embarrassment in that, because the right of the dead is limited to washing, shrouding, praying and burial.

Egypt
The Ministry of Awqaf in Egypt said yesterday, Wednesday, in a statement carried by the Middle East Agency, "If we are asked: Is it permissible to cancel the Friday prayer in a place if the epidemic is spread in this place in a way that poses a danger to lives? The answer is without any hesitation: Yes, it is permissible, in order to preserve lives Provided that the competent health authority is the one that requests it, and that it is in a general form for everyone and for all similar gathering places and not on Friday sermon alone, this is an absolute ruling that falls in the passport department.

The Egyptian Ministry added, "And if we were asked: Do we need in our dear Egypt to cancel the Friday prayer? We said with certainty: No, because our country, thanks to God, has absolutely no need for that, with our assertion that religious opinion follows the scientific opinion specialized in this and builds Upon him and not precede him. "

Iran
The National Anti-Corona Virus Committee in Iran canceled Friday prayers in all Iranian cities this week for fear of spreading the virus among worshipers.

The Minister of Health, Said Nimky, announced on the evening of February 26 last year that he imposed restrictions on entry to Shiite shrines, and made clear that he had recommended "tougher" measures than those adopted by the government.

According to Numki's decision, visitors are no longer allowed to enter Shi'a shrines and shrines before obtaining "hand sanitizer liquid, comprehensive information about the virus and masks, and gatherings are forbidden and only prayer and departure are permitted."

Tajikistan
The government of Tajikistan, which has a Muslim majority, asked citizens on Wednesday to avoid going to mosques for Friday prayers as a precautionary measure, fearing the spread of the new Corona virus, even though the country in Central Asia has not recorded any cases yet.

A spokesperson for the Governmental Religious Affairs Committee wrote on Facebook that there is not a complete ban on entering mosques, but this procedure is on the table after requests from a number of imams.