Tag Archives: corona

One Who Avoids Prayer in Congregation Because of the Gaps Between People in the Row

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

The following question was posed to Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan, Member of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Verdicts and Research and the Council of Senior Scholars (may Allah preserve him):

ما رأي فضيلتكم شيخ صالح فيمن يصلى في البيت ويترك صلاة الجماعة بحجة التباعد ظنا منه أن الصلاة غير جائزة في مثل هذه الحالة؟

What is the opinion of your excellence, Shaykh Saalih, about someone who prays at home and leaves off the prayer in congregation, justifying that with the issue of distancing (i.e. the gaps between people in the row), assuming that the prayer is not allowed to be offered in this way? [1]

الجواب: هذا يعذر بالجهل، إن كان جاهلا فيعذر بالجهل. أما إذا كان متعمدا فإنه لا يجوز له ذلك، مفارقة الجماعة، نعم.

The answer: This one can be excused because of ignorance. If he is ignorant, then he is excused because of ignorance. However, if he is doing this on purpose [knowing that it is actually valid], this is not permissible for him, [it is] separating away from the jamaa’ah (congregation, i.e. without right).

SOURCE: The live radio program, Noor ‘Alad-Darb, dated: Sunday 1443/1/27, at about 13 minutes into the program. [Arabic Audio]

TRANSLATION: Moosaa Richardson

FOOTNOTES:

[1] This question is specifically about the distancing that is established between people in the prayer rows during the Covid-19 Pandemic, something deemed necessary for the preservation of health and safety by the Muslim scholars, leaders, and top health officials. [See: Social Distancing During These Times is an Obligation From Allah; It Only Increases Our Love for One Another by Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan.]

FURTHER RESOURCES ON THE TOPIC OF COVID-19 REGULATIONS AND ISLAM:

Questions From the West About Covid-19 Answered by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal Shaykh

Do not Listen to Those Warning Against the Vaccine; Returning to the Truth is Better than Persisting in Harm and Falsehood, by Shaykh Mohammad bin Ghalib al-Omari

One Who Cannot Wear a Mask During the Covid-19 Pandemic is Excused from Congregational Prayers, by Shaykh Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi 

The Ruling on Forging Vaccination Records in Order to Avoid the Vaccine, by Shaykh Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi 

Regarding Those Who Insist that Coronavirus and the Vaccination is a Conspiracy, by Shaykh Mohammad bin Ghalib al-Omari

PDF: Nine Advices As Relates the Novel Coronavirus by the Mufti Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal Shaykh

PDF: A Summary of Verdicts Issued by the Permanent Committee of Scholars Concerning the Coronavirus Epidemic [Anwar Wright]

MP3 Audio: Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan on the Obligation of Social Distancing During the Covid-19 Outbreak [Phrase-by-phrase translation]

PDF: Advice of Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Bukhari About Coronavirus

Video: Healthy, Realistic, Practical Optimism During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Youtube)

PDF: Fleeing From the Decree to the Decree [Rahmaaniyyah, Abul-Hasan Maalik]

Video: Don’t Downplay the Seriousness of the Coronavirus! (Youtube)

MP3 Audio: Key Lessons About the Coronavirus [Hassan Somali]

Article: Social Distancing During These Times is an Obligation From Allah; It Only Increases Our Love for One Another

PDF: The Issue of Contagion – An Islamic Perspective [Taqweem Aslam]

Article: What Blessings Could Come From the Closing of Masjids?!

Khutbah: Coronavirus – How Muslims Understand it & Other Epidemics

MP3 Audio: Q&A About Coronavirus Conspiracy Theorists [Hassan Somali]

One Who Cannot Wear a Mask During the Covid-19 Pandemic is Excused from Congregational Prayers

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

The following is a question posed to Shaykh Dr. Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi (may Allah bless and preserve him) on Friday night, the 19th of al-Muharram, 1443 (August 27, 2021):

May Allah treat you well, noble shaykh, this questioner says: Does not wearing a mask due to health reasons make it permissible to leave off the Jumu’ah and congregational prayers in the masjid, since these conditions have been stipulated by the Corona Committee in our land, and may Allah reward you with good?

The shaykh’s answer: Continue reading →

Continuing to Maintain Safety Protocols to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus

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By the leading authority among the senior scholars of Saudi Arabia: The Mufti, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh (may Allah preserve him)

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all things. May Allah raise the rank of and grant peace to our Prophet Muhammad, and likewise all of his family and companions. As for what follows:

The Muslim continues to worship and perform good deeds which benefit himself, his family, and his Ummah. By way of that, he becomes capable of caring for the entire world. Indeed the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) praised the strong believer, saying:

(( الـمُؤْمِنُ القَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَـى اللهِ مِنَ الـمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ وَفِـي كُلٍّ خَيْرٌ ))
“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in both.” [1]

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) meant by this: One who is strong in his eemaan (faith) in Allah, the Exalted, and in his creed, his soul, and his physical body.

So good health is a tremendous blessing, and the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) stressed its importance, saying:

(( نِعْمَتَانِ مَغْبُونٌ فِيهِمَا كَثِيْـرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ: الصِّحَّةُ وَالفَرَاغُ ))
“Two blessings are neglected by many of the people: good health and free time.” [2]

So the body’s good health is a great blessing not fully understood except by those who have lost it. Thus, it is imperative that a person be keen to preserve his health and stay away from whatever would corrupt or harm it from diseases, contagions, and symptoms.

Islaam has instituted Continue reading →

Questions From the West About Covid-19 Answered by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal Shaykh

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

From Moosaa at-Taweel al-Amreekee to the Grand Mufti, the virtuous Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal ash-Shaykh: As-Salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullaah wa barakaatuh. As for what follows:

In these days -the days of the Coronavirus Pandemic- Allah has indeed blessed us with good leadership, governmental leaders and scholars who love the Muslims, and the Muslims love them. They lead the people to safety and well-being, by the Permission of their Lord. Their cooperation in establishing safety protocols in the land of Tawheed, the land of the two sacred and honored mosques, the respected Kingdom of Saudi Arabia -may Allah protect it from every evil- is an exemplary thing, a role model for the entire world, and the praise is for Allah. People of all different religions and various languages notice this, so may Allah compensate you for your hard work and reward you with the best reward for what you do for your Ummah!

A matter that causes fear has indeed come to us, a very serious matter, and [about it] the people have differed in their views. And our Lord, the All-Knowing, the Ever Informed, has indeed guided us to what is befitting for us in these types of issues, with His Statement [which means]:

And when there comes to them a matter of safety or fear, they spread it openly. Yet had they only referred it back to the Messenger and those in authority among them, those of them capable of extracting its ruling would have done so. [4:83]

So in order to implement this Noble Verse, and with due concern for unity, I present some important questions. I do believe that your answers to them will –by Allah’s Permission- save your children of Ahlus-Sunnah in foreign lands from the differing that has befallen them, as you hold a position of trust with everyone. It is from Allah that I hope that we could benefit from your noble instructions.

The First Question: How do we know exactly what the nawaazil (pending issues in need of verdicts) are, those which must be deferred to the senior scholars Continue reading →

What Blessings Could Come From the Closing of Masjids?!

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

I was recently involved in consultations over the most difficult decision I have ever been part of in my life. I attempted to keep to the command of Allah, to return matters back to the most knowledgeable and capable scholars, who know best about the application of Islamic rulings to specific situations:

وإذا جاءهم أمر من الأمن أو الخوف أذاعوا به ولو ردوه إلى الرسول وإلى أولي الأمر منهم لعلمه الذين يستنبطونه منهم ولولا فضل الله عليكم ورحمته لاتبعتم الشيطان إلا قليلا

“When a matter of [public] safety or fear reaches them, they openly spread it. Yet, had they only returned it back to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those who extract and apply rulings would have known about it. And had it not been for the Bounty of Allah upon you and His Mercy, you would have all followed the Shaytaan, save a few.” (Quran 4:83)

I feared that the wrong decision from myself, independently, could lead to severe harm and lives lost. I did not want to be among those whom our Messenger (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) referred to, after they issued a ruling that a man with wounds had to take a bath, and no concession applied to his case, which led to his death:

قتلوه قتلهم الله
“They killed him, may Allah destroy them!”
(Abu Dawud, authentic by way of its numerous routes)

I had to place my trust in Allah fully, and in His Words:

إنما يخشى الله من عباده العلماء
“Those who truly fear Allah among His worshipers are the scholars.” (Quran 35:28)

I placed my trust in Allah, and then I looked to those whom He commanded me to trust and return to, and I made the same decision that they made, to close masjids. I can only have good thoughts about those whom Allah has raised and entrusted with such a highly impacting verdict, those known for lifetimes of facilitating knowledge and worship, those who have more love and care for the Muslims and their safety than me, with lives of 50, 60, 70 years of work proving that. I firmly trust that they would not support the closing of masjids unless it were an absolute emergency, to avoid serious losses and protect the Muslims and the world from serious harm. I hold that to be the case, and I do not believe that I love this Ummah more than my scholars, great men of knowledge and piety. I thank Allah that He has not made me in a position to make decisions on the level they are responsible for. I know my place, and I prayed istikhaarah to close our local masjid for a time, and to support communities in the temporary closing of their masjids. I would never, ever support such an idea, except that I believe that this is better with my Lord, and better for His worshipers. I beg Allah to forgive me and my brothers and sisters, and to guide us to acts of piety and sincerity, and to allow us to regain His Favor that we have lost!

I further believe that, Continue reading →