Tue 21 April 2020:
Saudi Arabia extended on Monday the suspension of praying in the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque during the holy fasting month of Ramadan to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques’ Affairs said on Twitter.
The authorities in charge to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia specified in a tweet that Itikaf, or keeping vigil inside a mosque, would be suspended during Ramadan as well as the five daily prayers and the special Taraweef night time prayers, the president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais said in a separate tweet.
Each Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic religion, Muslim worshippers spend the last ten days of the month in itikaf or isolation inside a mosque or at their home to solely dedicate their time in prayer and read the Quran.
Saudi Arabia suspended all communal prayers inside mosques last month across the Kingdom as part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. During this time, the only prayers permitted to continue outside the home have been at the Two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars urged Muslims around the world to pray inside their homes during Ramadan if they reside in countries that have imposed coronavirus restrictions such as curfews and lockdowns.
Neighboring Bahrain announced on Monday that it was re-opening its al-Fateh Grand Mosque in a limited capacity during Ramadan for Friday, evening and Taraweeh prayers where only the imam and five other worshippers would be allowed to pray at any given time.
The decision to suspend prayers at mosques came after a meeting between Saudi Arabia’s highest religious body, the Council of Senior Scholars, and the Minister of Health.
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