Prominent Islamic cleric, sheik Abubakar Imam Ali-Agan has finally speaks about holding jumat prayer which is against the emir and Kwara govt directives
In a press statement made available to the public by Sheik Abubakar Aliagan Read ,
I have been following the discussions on this platform since yesterday.
Deliberately I kept mute because I don't want to join issues on emotional premise..
I thank all for your comments. It is natural to see issues from different perspectives.
Let me say ab initio that I will not discuss shariah issues here but I want to put some records straight.
1. I had the opportunity of meeting with the Deputy Governor of the state together with some Muslim Stakeholders on Thursday. Coronavirus was the agenda. The government want the religious leaders to tell their congregation to stay at home and respect the government directives.
My response among others are as follows.
1. The government had shut down the mosques and the churches before calling for the meeting, are we to address an empty Mosque.
2. Secondly asking people to stay at home is not enough to fight the deadly epidemic but what are the necessary steps as far as preventive medical equipments put in place by the government at strategic places.
3. I also argued that the Mosques and the churches should have been used to distribute relief measures to the needy before the shutting down of the two religious places.
I promised to use my program on Friday to appeal to people to follow the government directives which I did to the satisfaction of the government as a message of commendation was sent to me by the SA political.
Well having said all these, it should not be seen as an evidence or justification for the jummah prayer.
Let me begin by saying that I believe strongly that the Prophet of Islam warned against the spread of epidemics in a very popular and authentic hadith. And as a student of Islam I respect the prophetic opinion on all matters.
I also uphold strongly Allah's commandment in the verse which many always quote partly that we should obey Allah, the Prophet and the Ulul Amr.....but the verse leave room for disagreement with people in authority based on conviction. We may recheck the verse.....
My position on this matter is very simple.
Coronavirus does not reside in the Mosque.
The people that are asked to stay indoor are seen in dozens outside the Mosque to fetch water for their daily needs. The epidemic that is communicable is already spread in multiples.
All social gatherings that are supposed to be postponed are not only organized but are also attended by the notables in the society.
All the available virgin lands in the community have been turned into mini stadiums. Yet the only place where we should avoid is the Mosque.
Till now the elites shoprite and its cinema apartment ( I stand to be corrected) are still functional.
The okada riders with more than 3 passengers are still roaming our streets yet all these are normal and not dangerous to our health.
People that are supposed to avoid physical contacts are seen in groups in different places raising their voices on avoidable arguments.
Worst is the attitude of our law enforcement agencies who are seen arresting people indiscriminately.
The truth of the matter is that till now the virus is not yet reported in the state ( and we pray that it will not) but our boarders with the places that have recorded the virus are left wide opened for the influx of the virus....
.. in all these circumstances what is the offence of the Mosque.
Lastly before observing the jummah prayer,
I had participated in the Janaizah prayer of a deceased as one of the supervisors of the cemetery.
The people that followed the corpse to the cemetery are in hundreds...... Janazah is nafilah.....
Why are we not flexing our muscles collectively to fight the epidemic by brainstorming and provide our own solution to really avoid social gatherings.
Mosque for the sake argument is only one of those places where people can contact the epidemic it is not the place where it is residing.
In places where people are really observing the stay at home order religiously, water is running in their apartments. Our people will continue to gather in hundreds to fetch water......yet Allah will safe them from the virus......Amin
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