Andalib Akhter / New Delhi
Amid the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, top Muslim religious leaders from across the country have asked the community to spend Shab-e Bara’at, the night of forgiveness at home and to not visit graveyards but pray for their departed relatives while staying at home. They particularly appealed youth to completely refrain from going out of their homes during this special night.
“We appeal to all Muslims to spend Shab-e Bara’at at home offering prayers, reciting the Holy Quran and doing zikr and du’a. Muslims should not visit graveyards but pray for their departed relatives while staying at home. We appeal, in particular, to our youth to completely refrain from going out of their homes during this night. We appeal to them; stay at home, offer prayers and make du’as, and pray to Allah the Almighty in particular to safeguard all our compatriots from this epidemic” they said in a joint statement.
They said that Cornonavirus has evolved into a dangerous epidemic which has engulfed the whole world. Thousands have lost their lives as a result and over a million people have been infected by this virus. In our own country over four thousand people are infected by this virus. As a safeguard, the whole country is under lockdown at present. As a result, congregational and Jumu’a prayers in mosques have been curtailed and people are offering their prayers at home.
Muslims every year observe vigil at night at mosques on the occasion of Shab-e Bara’at, offering special prayers, reciting the Holy Quran and visiting graveyards. An effective way to protect ourselves from this virus is to observe social distancing and people should not assemble in any place. It is part of wisdom and expediency that same is observed during the Shab-e Bara’at.
The signatories to appeal are:
Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, President, Muslim Ittehad Parishad, Barielly;
Maulana Syed Mahmood Madni, General Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-e Hind;
Syed Saadatullah Husaini, Amir, Jamaat Islami Hind;
Maulana Mufti Muhammad Mukarram, Shahi Imam, Masjid Fatehpuri Delhi;
Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Salfi, Amir, Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e Hadees;
Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, General Secretary, Islami Fiqh Academy;
Hazrat Muhammad Tanveer Hashmi, Sajjada Nasheen Khanqah Hashimiya, Bijapur, Karnataka;
Maulana Sagheer Ahmad Khan, Amir-e Shariat Karnataka;
Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan Azhari, Chairman, Delhi Minorities Commission;
Hazrat Muhammad Mueen Miyan, Peer-e Tareeqat, Mumbai;
Maulana Hafiz Syed Athar Ali, Nazim, Jamia Muhammadiya, Mumbai;
Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Nadwi, Nazim, Jamiatus Salehat, Bangalore;
Maulana Amin Usmani, Secretary, Islami Fiqh Academy;
Kamal Faruqi, ex-Chairman, Delhi Minorities Commission;
Mujtaba Farooq, Secretary General, All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat.