Ramadan: Sultan suspends lectures, prayers in mosques

•Asks Muslim faithful to use internet for Tarawih, Tafsir

•Urges Islamic scholars to use radio, TV, print, other media

TRACKING___Abuja — As Ramadan kicks off tomorrow, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has ordered the suspension of Quranic lectures and congregational prayers in mosques to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country.

The directive came barely 24 hours after the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, also led by the Sultan, gave a similar directive.

The JNI had in a statement signed by the Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, urged Muslims to observe the sit-at-home order during Ramadan and use the internet for sermons and Quranic recitations.

He said despite the challenges of physical and social distancing, Tafsir and other religious teachings could continue, using various information technology (IT) platforms, such as Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Zoom, etc., to live-stream preaching sessions.

He had said: “Reliable information and communication technology (ICT) professionals could be consulted for proper guidance. It is on this basis that the JNI calls on the Ulama to, as usual, make the fear of Allah their watchword, bearing in mind that knowledge is a trust from Allah and shall be accounted for on the day of reckoning, thus it should be handled with the utmost caution it deserves.

“Muslims should fervently pray for an end to the myriad challenges bedeviling the world and Nigeria in particular, and to also seek Allah’s interventions for better well-being and prosperity. While we also pray for our leaders to be well-guided and foresighted, they should equally fear Allah and remember that they will one day account for their respective stewardship; as such, they should as a matter of patriotism ensure that they promote equal distribution of resources and maintain peace in all their respective utterances and actions.”

Reinforcing this yesterday, the NSCIA in a statement signed by the Director of Administration, Mr Yusuf Nwoha, in Abuja, said the decision to give the suspension order was reached at the end of stakeholders engagement of the General Purpose Committee meeting of the council at the National Mosque, Abuja.

He said: “The General Purpose Committee of the NSCIA under the leadership of its President-General, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, in view of the current COVID-19 pandemic, considered the reports of the Fatwa Committee and the Ad-hoc Committee on COVID-19 and observed that scholars of Islam throughout the world are unanimous that the Prophet of Islam warned against the spread of contagious diseases and urged Muslims to prevent the spread.

“The closure of the two Holy Mosques in the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia for both congregational worship and social functions, which is applauded by Islamic scholars throughout the world, is a pointer to its compliance to the Prophetic teachings on the subject matter.’’

He noted that one of the obligatory religious activities, such as the weekly Friday prayers, was suspended as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus among Muslims.

“Jum’ah, as an obligatory religious activity, which is temporarily suspended to prevent the spread of COVID 19 outweighs the performance of any meritorious religious act such as congregational Tarawih and the conduct of Tafsir.

“Consequently, the Council directs that congregational Tarawih in the Mosque and the various Majalis Tafsir (sessions) and I’tikaf during the month of Ramadan of 1441 A.H be suspended.

“Individual scholars and organisations are, therefore, encouraged to employ available means of disseminating information such as radio, television, other virtual facilities, print, social and traditional media for dissemination of Tafsir and other Da’awah activities,” he said.