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

In a very significant historical event, al-hamdu lillaah, at Fajr Prayer on the morning of Sunday, the 11th of Rabee’ al-Awwal, 1443 (October 17, 2021), restrictions requiring distance between the people in prayer at the two sacred mosques were officially lifted, and for the first time in a year and a half, Muslims praying there heard the imaam request the people to come together in the rows and not leave any gaps. People of Sunnah around the world rejoice and understand this to be a monumental event, a welcome relief, a comfort to the heart and soul, and a long-awaited sign of good things to come, in shaa’ Allah.

Why Were Such Restrictions There in the First Place?

Praying side-by-side, without gaps, is something our Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) ordered when he would line the people up for prayer. This obligation was (and still is, in other mosques) only being foregone temporarily, because of the need to take precautions against the spread of Covid-19, something deemed by the senior Muslim scholars, top governmental Muslim leaders, and appointed and responsible Muslim health officials to be a serious threat to human life and safety. In the most urgent matters of emergencies that jeopardize the health and well being of many millions of people, the Book of Allah certainly leads us to safety and prosperity:

This is a good beginning, yet all other masjids there at this time continue to operate under the well-known safety precautions of wearing masks, distancing in the rows, and bringing personal prayer rugs. May Allah make us grateful for both the removal of the restrictions at the two Harams and for the care and concern the Muslim scholars and authorities have shown for the health and well-being of the Muslims all over the world.

Written by: Moosaa Richardson

See: This tweet on the topic by Shaykh Dr. Mohammad bin Ghalib al-Omari, and this tweet (in response) as well.

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

One Who Avoids Prayer in Congregation Because of the Gaps Between People in the Row, by Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan

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]