Pakistan has suspended Friday prayers in mosques to control spread of coronavirus spread across the country as the total number of infected persons crossed 1,000. Pakistani President Dr Arif Alvi sought permission of Egypt’s Al-Azhar for suspension of Friday prayers to which it had issued a fatwa.
In a tweet, the Pakistan President had thanked the grand mufti and scholars at Al-Azhar for the fatwa. “I am thankful to grand imam Shaikh of Al-Azhar and Supreme Council for responding to my personal request to provide guidance to us with regard to Farz Jamaat and Juma prayers in mosques during coronavirus attack.”
According to Pak media, President Alvi through Egypt’s ambassador in Pakistan had sought guidance from Al-Azhar university, an authority on Islamic injunctions, for a word on the suspension of congregational prayers at mosques amid spike in coronavirus cases.
He also appealed to religious leaders in the country to urgently take action on the fatwa of Egypt’s Al-Azhar institution that termed it purely Islamic to cancel Friday prayers over coronavirus concerns.
Dr Alvi mentioned that the countries already suspending congregational prayers included the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.
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