The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, has urged Muslim faithful to abide by government’s directives aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 during the holy month of Ramadan.
As such, he said, there must not be mass gatherings for prayers during the fasting period.
The revered traditional-cum-religious leader advised Muslims to pray in their homes instead.
The Sultan made the appeal in a Monday statement through the Secretary General of the JNI, Dr Khalid Abubakar -Aliyu in Kaduna.
He further advised Muslims to shun lesser hajj to Saudi Arabia during this period.
“It should be made known that all Salawatun-nawafil (optional and non-obligatory prayers), including Taraweeh, are originally preferred to be observed at home, even though it is Mustahabb (desirable) to observe it in congregation.
“To sum it up, there will not be the annual Tafsir sessions and no congregational Taraweeh in mosques until when situation permits. We should therefore pray with our families at home and stay safe.
“This is a Ramadan with a difference as most people will be under lockdown. Hence, they will certainly be in dire need of assistance because of the economic realities and the attendant suffocating inflationary trends.
“Our spirit of generosity should be fully activated in higher proportion so as to ameliorate the sufferings of the poor in our midst by providing them with food and other necessities.
“Despite the challenges of physical and social distancing, Tafsir and other religious teachings could continue using various information technology platforms , such as Facebook, Skype, YouTube, Zoom, etc., to live stream preaching sessions. Reliable information and communication technology professionals could be consulted for proper guidance,” he said.
Furthermore, the Sultan enjoined Muslims to pray for a quick end to the global pandemic.
While calling for improved action to stop the pandemic in Nigeria, he urged the government to “ignore the intricacies of eye-service heroism, sloganeering and the show of false religiosity.”
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