Religious leaders, scholars call for home Ramzan prayers

PUNE The Ulema Council has appealed to the Muslim community to observe fasting and prayer inside their homes and avoid gatherings during the holy month of Ramzan,

PUNE The Ulema Council has appealed to the Muslim community to observe fasting and prayer inside their homes and avoid gatherings during the holy month of Ramzan, or Ramadan, which will begin on April 25.

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The city houses at least 350 big and small mosques, including madrasas, which are the centres of congregational prayer during the month of Ramzan.

Prominent Islamic cleric, Maulana Razin Ashrafi, said, “The devouts should not step outside the homes during the Covid-19 (coronavirus) lockdown period. Measures like social distancing are the need of the hour in our collective fight against the pandemic.”

“All members must observe ‘roza’ and ‘iftar’ and perform ‘namaz’ and ‘taraweeh’ (night prayer said during Ramzan) inside their houses. The devotees will get the same blessings at their homes which they get in the mosques during the time of fasting and prayer,” said Maulana Ashrafi.

Maulana Hameed Nadwi said, “Many of our top religious scholars have given their view that Ramzan must be observed in the houses and nobody should venture out during the holy month. The Muslim community must follow all the guidelines of the government and cooperate with the police and health department with regards to reducing the spread of Covid-19 in society.”

“The community has stayed indoors during the entire month and will stay indoors during Ramzan as it in the larger interests of the society,” he said.

Qari Idrees, a cleric from the city, said, that the Ulema has unanimously appealed to the Muslim community to observe the holy month indoors and have cited Quranic references for observing ‘roza’ and ‘namaz’ inside the house. “During the lockdown, the Muslim community will be observing the rituals inside their houses and nobody will be coming to the mosques. The appeal has been sent through various channels of communication to the community,” said Idrees.

Saleem Mulla, a social worker, said, “ The Muslim community in the city will diligently follow the directions of the state government and the Ulema Council while observing the holy month of Ramzan. We have been actively working for spreading awareness about the same and the community has responded to the call of the Ulemas and the government.”

“We will jointly work with the government in curbing the spread of Covid-19 in the city,” he said.