As mankind struggles to contain the spread of the pandemic, Islamic scholars have given credence to the fact that in emergency or epidemic, social distancing is permitted in Islam.
Sheik Muhammad Nuru-Khalid, the Imam, Apo Legislative Quarters, stated this while giving historical instances where Ramadan had been played down because of an emergency or epidemic to save lives.
He stressed that it could be ignorance on the part of some Imams to endanger the lives of their followers by refusing to obey constituted authorities as permitted by Islam.
He said that the prophet recognised quarantine during the epidemic, maintaining that it was an age-long practice, where sick people were kept separately for a minimum of 40 days.
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“The injunction is that there would be a possibility of reduction after 40 days, whereby the disease would lose strength to continue with the spread. It is also not true that Muslims should not make use of hand sanitizers because of alcoholic content. Muslims should ignore such teachings,” he said.
While reacting to the arraignment of three Imams in Abuja for disobeying social distancing, Khalid had during a programme on a local media, on Monday, stated that if congregational lecture or prayers could lead to spread of the disease, then it could be done without, stressing that the government did not ban prayers and that Muslims could do Tafsir, or congregational lecture with members of their families at home.
Corroborating Khalid, the Director of the International Centre for Islamic Culture and Education, Abdulfattah Adeyemi, said that the act of worship during Ramadan had to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, stressing that self-isolation; social distancing directives of government must be obeyed with respect of congregational prayers and lectures.
Speaking on the deviance by some Imams, Adeyemi said, “Government did not say people should not pray. You can’t be more holy than the prophet who told us what to do during the epidemic. When people gather to endanger their lives and that of others, Allah will not accept such prayers.”
