By Asad Mirza
For the Indian Muslims, the lockdown gives a golden opportunity to establish itself more effectively as the biggest and charity oriented faith group. Muslims can start food banks in their localities to serve those daily wage earners, who may not be able to earn their daily bread.
They can take up other activities like cleaning up their localities and neighbourhood park through group activities ensuring social distancing norms. They can make arrangements to transport patients, expectant mothers and affected patients to the hospitals in an organised manner. For all this, they can use their Zakat money, which they had planned to give during the forthcoming month of Ramazan.
At the individual level many Muslims have come up with numerous queries on how to continue to perform their faith activities at an individual level. Our Faqihs and Ulemas have responded to various issues very proactively. Islam always cautions you to adopt an attitude, which ensures the welfare and safety of all. Thus, our Faqihs have tried to answer these queries in this background.
The uppermost is the question of performing Salah at your home. Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, the leading Indian Faqih has advised on the issue. Maulana opines that Adhan and Jamaat should be performed at your masjid but in a very limited manner, meaning that Jamaat should be performed by the Imam along with a limited number of muqtadees, further the Muezzin of your neighbourhood mosque instead of saying ‘Haya Al-as Salah’ meaning ‘come to prayer’ in Arabic should replace it with ‘As salatu fi-rihalakum’ or ‘As salatu fi-buyutikum’ meaning ‘pray at home’.
Regarding Juma prayers, Maulana Rahmani opines that these too should be performed with limited people and only a short Khutba should be read out. Also lessons on the Holy Quran and Hadees after the Salah and lengthy speeches by the Imam should be immediately stopped. A system of sanitisation and cleanliness in every mosque should be performed assiduously.
As regards to performing Namaaz in a Jamaat, along with your family, Doctor Mohammad Raziul Islam Nadvi, Secretary, Sharia Council, Jamaat-e Islami Hind says that this act is permissible. The accompanying chart shows the preferred positions of different family members during this.
Answering another related issue and which might confront Muslims all across the country very soon, is the issue of burial and related activities. Maulana Rahmani categorically says that if the doctors and the government allow, only then the dead bodies of affected persons should be taken over by the relatives.
If allowed by doctors only then the Ghusal should be given, if the body is not in a good shape then Tayammum should be performed and that too be desisted from if it may result in the transmission of the virus. As regards to giving Kafan to the dead body, Maulana Rahmani is of the view that it should be done if the doctors allow it, if the hospital authorities hand over the dead body in a protective film, then that film should be considered as a Kafan. Just like those of the Shohadas (martyrs), who were buried in the clothes in which they were fighting. Doctor Razi says that if the doctors allow the Ghusal, then one should ensure that the water used for Ghusal is disposed of off in an efficient manner, ensuring that no healthy person comes into contact with it.
Regarding the next step of burial, Maulana Rahmani opines that if the hospital authorities are handing over the dead body in a wooden box, then that box should be buried in the cemetery, and even if that is not allowed and the burial is done at a specific public place, then one should at least ensure that Namaz-e Janazah is performed by the people before the burial.
We should remember that though Islam is a community-oriented faith, yet in times of natural calamities or war, we could pursue our faith activities at an individual level. We should remember that during the 1441 years history of Islam, Tawaf at the Khana-e Kabah has been suspended 40 times and Haj not performed 4 times due to natural calamities or conditions. Further, we should desist from questioning our Faqihs and Ulemas, as every decision taken by them is in the light of the Holy Quran and Hadees and Shariah and indeed they are more knowledgeable than us.
We should resolve to emerge out of this Lockdown as a more knowledgeable, pious and practising Muslim and Indian.
Asad Mirza is a senior journalist based in New Delhi
