Riyadh/Makkah: All the mosques have been shut down and Muslims are asked to pray at home as part of new measures taken by the authorities in Saudi Arabia to control the Coronavirus outbreak.
The latest move however exempts the Grand Mosque in Makkah and Masjid e Nabawi in Madina where daily prayers will be held in congregation as usual, the Saudi authorities announced Tuesday.
A statement on SPA said it is allowed religiously to suspend all group prayers in mosques, including the weekly Friday prayers.
“Mosque doors will be closed temporarily but they will be allowed to recite the call to prayer,” the statement said.
It also said an amendment has been made to the call in which the usual phrase “Hayya alas salah - come to prayer” in the Arabic call has been replaced with “as salatu fi rihalakum" or "as salatu fi buyutikum" - pray at home."
The new phrase can also be translated as “pray where you are”.
Saudi Arabia had in the last month suspended Umrah travels and also resrticted prayers in the Mataf area of the Makkah Grand mosque and close to Kaaba.
The announcement "as salatu fi rihalakum" has been in practice during the life of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) at the time of severe cold and heavy rains.
Though rare, but it has been in practice nowadays too in such emergencies.
Earlier religious authorities in Kuwait had also suspended daily prayers, including Friday special prayers, across the country in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak.
More than 7500 people across the world have so far died because of Coronavirus - the deadly virus which started from China's Wuhan and spread to more than 145 countries including Saudi Arabia.
Besides China, the worst countries affected by COVID-19 - as the WHO named the Coronavirus, are Italy, Iran, Malaysia and Spain. Citing the same reason, Iran has also shut all Shia shrines in the country.
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