Scholars urge faithful not to attend events that spread Covid-19

KABUL (Pajhwok): Religious scholars, stressing on increased sympathy among Muslims, on Saturday urged the faithful to refrain from participating in Fateha, Khatm-ul-Quran and charity ceremonies to avoid the spread of Covid-19 disease.

More than one and a half years ago, the coronavirus started spreading in Afghanistan after the first case was registered in western Herat province.

So far in Afghanistan, more than 88,000 cases have been recorded across the country and nearly 3,500 coronavirus patients have died from the infection.

Currently, the third wave of the virus has begun in Afghanistan and the number of people infected with the virus has more than quadrupled and the death toll from the disease has increased more than fivefold.

However, after the outbreak of the virus, the World Health Organization and medical doctors created some health guidelines (frequent hand washing with soap, use of masks, keeping social distance, avoiding gatherings, sanitization) to prevent the spread of the virus and asked the people to following these guidelines.

Following a surge in the cases, the Ministry of Public Health announced (on June 5) a two-week closure of all educational centers in 16 provinces, including Kabul. The ministry also declared another two-week quarantine period, ordering closure of wedding halls and not holding of conferences.

MoPH repeatedly urged the public to strictly follow health guidelines and to refrain from holding and participating in gatherings.

Pajhwok reporter visited several Fateha and other ceremonies in Kabul where health guidelines were not being observed.

Religious scholars: Participating in gatherings which lead to Covid-19 spread is not permissible.

Mufti Shams-ur-Rahman, one of religious scholars, told Pajhwok: “Coronavirus is a dangerous and deadly virus for humanity, and it is not permissible in the holy religion of Islam to participate in gatherings that spread the virus, therefore, in the first step unnecessary gatherings should be avoided.”

Referring to people suspected of infected by coronavirus, he added they should quarantine themselves at home and avoid contact with healthy people, and if they come in contact with other people so they must wear masks and gloves.

“When an attendant goes to the mosque for congregational prayers or Friday prayers, if he suffers from any disease such as cold and flu, it is not necessary for such people to go to mosques at all,” he stressed.

Frotan considered it significant to create a distance during the congregational prayers, addressing the worshipers that they should observe a distance of one meter during the congregational prayers and should not leave the house without a mask.

He stressed the need to disinfect mosques and noted that people should strongly refrain from going to communities where distance was not observed, even in mosques.

“The Fateha is a recommended (virtuous) act, even if the coronavirus is not very serious, one should avoid going to the ceremony,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mohammad Maroof Hanif, a professor at Kabul University’s faculty of Sharia, told Pajhwok: “The work we do has two dimensions, one is the religious dimension, it means that the Prophet (PBUH) has legitimized the things that we must do, and it is a matter of social dimension.”

He added in the matter of mourning, the Messenger of Allah (swt) told us: Whoever dies, we should attend his funeral and whoever attends the funeral, the reward is the same as Uhud mount, and if he stays until the corpse is buried, the reward doubles.”

He said in such situation of Covid-19, holding of Fateha is against the order of the Prophet (PBUH) and the instructions of Him.

Referring to one of the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he said: “Whoever is inflected with leprosy, you should flee from him like you are escaping from a predatory lion, in the same way, human beings must flee from the sick who have the transforming disease.”

The cleric continued: “The issue of Fateha ceremony and participation in such issues have no religious dimension and are not natural in Islam, and this is just a matter of social custom. Leaving the same social custom is now an obligatory task and an assumption that must be abandoned.”

Public quarantine should be imposed to prevent further spread of Covid-19: health experts

Dr. Sherzad, a former advisor to MoPH, called participation in gatherings of mourning and joy as catastrophic and said that it was impossible to identify people with Covid-19.

He urged the government to pay serious attention to the issue and ban indoor gatherings.

Some people are indifferent to the spread of the virus: Citizens

Some compatriots do not think at all and do not follow the health guidelines at all, said Azda Yahyaee, a resident of Pul-i-Surkh area of Kabul.

He says that in the city, people walk around without masks, social distance is not observed at all, and hundreds of people participate in joy and mourning ceremonies every day without observing the health tips, which can dramatically increase suffering.

Nabila, a resident of Khair Khana area of Kabul, who had attended a friend’s funeral a few days earlier, told Pajhwok: “Dozens of women without masks attended the ceremony, sitting together.”

She called on the government to prevent holding of mourning ceremonies for men in mosques and for women in halls, in addition to the closure of educational centers, wedding hotels and other gathering places.

Sa/ma

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