Jumat-ul-Vida the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadhan is being observed today with reverence devotion and religious fervour across Jammu and Kashmir. However this year congregational prayers will remain suspended at Dargah Hazratbal and historic Jamia Masjid Srinagar in view of surge in COVID19 positive cases. Every year the biggest congregations are traditionally held at revered Hazratbal shrine and Jamia Masjid in Downtown Srinagar. However in view of pandemic Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Wakf Board had announced suspension of celebrations and congregational prayers at Masjids and shrines affiliated to it in view of threat of the coronavirus. Similarly Jamia Masjid Srinagar Aniuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid announced that Jummat-ul-Vida and Shab-e-Qadr programmes at the grand Masjid stand cancelled due to exponential rise in COVID19 cases and lockdown which has been imposed in the wake of second wave of coronavirus. Following safety guidelines and adhering to COVID19 SoPs the Muslims in Kashmir have been offering prayers in local Masjids. They are expected to hold Jumat-ul-Vida observation at locals Majids amid adherence to COVID19 protocol. Meanwhile J&K Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam urged the people to impose self-restrictions to prevent Covid spread. He also appealed people to ensure needy people are not made to suffer for want of daily necessities and must be helped. “People should not venture out unnecessarily unless and until their any extreme emergency. People must maintain the highest level of precautions at all the places” he said. “People are appealed to avoid all social gatherings. NGOs and local Masjid Committee shall come forward and help the needy people by providing them daily necessities” he added. He impressed upon the well-off people to spend the portion of their Zakat (Charity) on purchasing oxygen cylinders and provide them free of cost to needy. “Besides they must reach out to the people in need who have no source of income amid the closure of all avenues” he said. “People must take appropriate efforts for the survival and Masjid Committees should create Bait-Ul-Mals to collect donations for the needy people and they should also ensure self-imposed restrictions to contain the spared of deadly coronavirus” the Grand Mufti said. He further said that in case there are apprehensions of offering congregational prayers at local Masjid leading to virus transmission “people should offer prayers at their homes in that case as a precautionary measure.”

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