SAUDI ARABIA’S GRAND MUFTI URGES FAITHFUL TO PERFORM EID PRAYER AT HOME

Mon 18 May 2020:

It is permissible for Muslims to perform the Eid al-Fitr prayer at home since the coronavirus pandemic has forced mosques around the world to close, local media cited Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh as saying on Sunday.

The prayer can be performed individually or in a group, the Grand Mufti said.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and is expected to begin on May 23, pending the moon sighting.

On the first day of Eid, Muslims should begin the prayer 15 or 30 minutes after sunrise and continue it until the Duha prayer – the voluntary prayer between the obligatory sunrise and noon prayer, Sheikh al-Sheikh said.

In regards to the Zakat al-Fitr, which is the charity that must be given to the poor before the start of Eid, the Grand Mufti said that Muslims can make a donation to reliable organizations.

The coronavirus outbreak has forced mosques around the world to shut their doors to believers to prevent the virus from spreading. Muslims often perform communal prayers in mosques that require them to stand side-by-side.