Closing the masjids for prayers due to the Coronavirus

Question :

In some countries they are closing the masjids so no one prays the 5 congregational prayers and the Jummah prayer and the mu’athan now says in his Adhan, “Pray in your homes” because the spread of this epidemic known as Coronavirus. What is the ruling of this action?

Answer :

Allah knows best. This epidemic has spread all over the news and they have a reason and a purpose for it. As for closing the masjids and they are the places of refuge for the Muslims, as they are places they preform their worship which are their means of getting close to their Lord the Exalted. This deprives the people from obtaining the means of warding off this epidemic. It is also (a cause of) fear and panic in the Muslims and weakness in their belief in Allah, until some even go so far as to believe that this disease, in and of itself, causes harm. And this matter is very dangerous. But that which we must not do is close the masjids. The people must not be prevented from praying Jummah and the congregational prayers. However, the one that is infected with this disease, should be prevented from coming to Jummah and the congregational prayers. This is (the appropriate) vigilance for these types of individuals, keeping them from coming to the masjids based of the statement of the Prophet ﷺ when he said: “Don’t enter the sick upon the healthy.”

As for preventing everyone… Ok will they not all gather in their homes or will each individual person stay in their own bedroom? Ok what about the bathrooms? There are three bedrooms and only one bathroom. Or say ten people are in one family, each of them will have their own bathroom? And each one of them will have their own entrance to the house..? There is going to be interaction between them without a doubt. This is only adding to (the fear of) the matter and this is not correct. The affair of closing the masjid is not good. As for taking the precautions of preventing the one that is infected from mixing amongst the people, there is no harm in this. Not allowing them to come to the masjids or the market places of the people, this is what is needed. As for closing the masjids and now it is not possible for the people to establish the Jummah prayer or the five congregational prayers in it, what are they supposed to do now?

Even now, this has taken place in some of the Muslim countries, and in some of the non-Muslim countries, and this is to be expected from them. These people fear every superstition. Verily Allah said,

وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلَى حَيَاةٍ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ

Which translates as:

“And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life – [even] more than those who associate others with Allah . One of them wishes that he could be granted life a thousand years, but it would not remove him in the least from the [coming] punishment that he should be granted life. And Allah is Seeing of what they do.” [Surah al-Baqarah:96]

They are in fear and panic of this epidemic because of their sins and disbelief and their oppression and harm upon the Muslims (from) killing them, expelling them, displacing them, and violating their honor and spilling their blood. Rather the matter has even reached where they are transgressing against the children. So these people are criminals, murderers, they don’t respect the rights of the Muslims. While they claim to uphold human rights. By Allah, they are liars. When will the Muslims understand the evil of the kufaar and their plots. And don’t believe them in what they call these vaccinations. By Allah, we do not fear except that they will vaccinate us with some calamity, epidemic and evil. We do not trust them nor rely upon them. They do not respect any ties or any protective obligation with regards to the believers. Likewise, they don’t desire any good or happiness for the believers. And we ask Allah to increase them in destruction and ruin and death because of the oppression and crimes they have committed against the Muslims.

There were, may Allah preserve you, in the times of the companions these epidemics. (For example) in the time of Umar, and it was not known that they would close the masjids. Nor was it known that they left off Jummah and the congregational prayers.

Certainly a person will need to go out for food. Now imagine that Allah decrees that this affliction continues for a year, the farms close and the factories close, you’re going to die. You will be overwhelmed. They mentioned that in one of these plague it lasted for 15 years. Fifteen years it continued. No one knows how long this epidemic will last. The point is, you do not prevent the people from goodness, you don’t prevent them from acts of worship and obedience to Allah. What’s is this praying in the house? Why do they have to pray in the house? Ok the one that needs water, where is he going to get water from? And the one selling water who is he going to sell it to? Or the ones that sell all the fruits and vegetables, who are they going to sell to? He’s selling (his merchandise) and they are in their houses. So it is a must that they come together, correct? How else. They have to come out and mix altogether. Or is it that this house will come out from this hour till this hour, then the next house will come out from this hour to the next? No, they are all going to be coming out at one time and they will all mix together. And this is bound to happen. So why are you preventing them from coming to the masjid? These are the places of goodness and blessings. These are not the places of affliction and calamity. The masjid is a place of goodness and tranquility. So the one that comes to the circles of knowledge in the Houses of Allah, Allah will protect him. Is that not enough for you. And whoever comes to the circles of knowledge in the house of Allah tranquility will descend upon him. Then, oh my brother, death is going to happen. Prepare yourself, death is going to come. As for death, no one can separate himself from this, “Every soul will taste death”. As Allah the Most-High says:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

That which translates as:

“Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned.”[Anbiyah:35]

And His statement:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَما الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ

That which translates as:

“Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.”[Al-Imraan:185]

So therefore there is no way to escape death rather as it is said, “there are many ways to death”.

So now some of the people perhaps because of how much they’re listening to the news, and I advise against listening to the news regarding these affairs, because most of these broadcasts are exaggerated. And it leaves one in a doubtful state and suspicion (with this Coronavirus) about his wife and children, spending all day washing and cleaning and scrubbing. If he uses one sponge they all have to use different ones (out of fear) each writing his name on his personal sponge or plates. This is a tragedy from all this suspicion. Perhaps causing one to acquire high blood pressure or sugar diabetes all because of this suspicion. He may die from a heart attack before this virus even reaches him. So with that it is upon the people not to be over burdened by this affair but rather place your reliance upon Allah. Whoever places his trust upon Allah, He will suffice him.

Death is going to come, but the goal is purifying one’s statements and actions. Establishing the correct beliefs in Allah and performing righteous actions upon beneficial knowledge. So if death does approach and you’re in that state you would have succeeded, you won. You are going to die. “Every soul will be resurrected upon what he died upon.” Based on the hadith of Jabir bin Abdullah in Sahih Muslim. But if the ummah of the Muslims are tested with the closing of the masjids and being prevented from the congregational prayers and the Jummah prayer or making the tawaaf around Allah’s sacred House or from Umrah and Hajj then this (blame) is upon the one that has prevented the people.

So the one that has been prevented from establishing the prayer in the masjid he is to establish his prayers in his home with his family. And the one prevented from the Jummah prayer then the people of knowledge say he is to prayer Dhuhr. But likewise he should establish the prayer in congregation with his family in his home. As for the one that says I am going to establish the Jummah khutbah in my house and another person says the same then a third. There may be four to six apartments on each floor depending on the building. So perhaps in one apartment building there may be 50 or 20 different Jummah prayers in that one building. So this is not correct, it is for them to establish the Dhuhr prayer if they are trialed (with the closing of the masjid) and the blame will be upon the ones that prevented them from this goodness. So they are to pray in their homes and Allah knows best.

As for the (mu’athan saying) “pray in your homes” Allah knows best, this is not correct in this situation. This was legislated for when it rains or in cases of extreme cold that one can’t bear. As for this epidemic, Allah knows best how long this epidemic will last. As for rain then it has a fixed time period. Even the cold, in some places the cold is so intense but for three days only, in this cases the mu’athan says, “Pray in your homes”, as it comes in the hadith. As for these epidemics, then they have appeared before, and it was never known that they said, “Pray in your homes” and people were dying in the thousands. It wasn’t known that they said pray in your homes nor did they prevent the congregational prayers or Jummah. However, in these cases if one is prevented from the Jummah prayer then it is for him to pray Dhuhr and Allah knows best.

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Answered by: Shaikh Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ba Jamaal (May Allah preserve him)

Source : https://t.me/OfficialChannelShaykhBaajammaal/18⁦

Translated by : Abu Yusuf Bilal ibn Howard Robinson