ABU DHABI, 19th April 2020 (WAM) – The Emirates Fatwa Council held a remote meeting on Sunday to discuss latest updates related to coronavirus, COVID-19, from Fiqh, or Islamic jurisprudence perspectives.

The Council members opened their meeting with a call to utilise the holy month of Ramadan to thank Allah (SWT) for all his blessings. They also praised the UAE’s wise leadership for sparing no efforts to provide medical screening and treatment to all citizens and residents.

The Council issued five Fatwas on fasting in this year’s Ramadan, in the shadow of COVID-19. According to the Council, fasting is obligatory upon healthy people who are required to fast. It also ruled that COVID-19 patients may not fast when the virus symptoms appear and if they were told by the physicians that fasting will make their condition worse.

According to the Council, the frontline medical workers are also permitted not to fast while on duty if they fear that fasting could lead to weakening their immunity or to losing their patients.

On Taraweeh prayer and whether it could be performed outside the mosque premises or by following radio, TV or social media, the Council ruled that under the current situation, it could be performed individually at home. However, the man of the house may lead the prayer for his family either by reciting verses he memorised or by reading from the holy book.

The third Fatwa focussed on Eid Al Fitr prayer should the current situation continue until that time. It ruled that people may perform Eid Al Fitr prayer individually at their homes or in group with their respective family members without a sermon. It warned against congregating to perform the prayer, saying this could endanger lives, an act that is strictly forbidden in Islam.

In the fourth Fatwa, the Council asserted that performing Friday prayer is not permissible. Instead, one should perform Dhuhr prayer because Friday prayer has its own congregational requirements and if such requirements are not met due to some obstacles, then it is no longer valid. The Council also warned against unusual practices and reminded that it is obligatory to follow the authorities’ instructions to avoid gatherings and to stop Friday prayer as a precautionary measure against communicable disease risks which increase with mass gatherings.

On Zakat and Zakat Al Fitr, the Council said it is permitted to pay Zakat earlier, adding that it is even better to pay it as quickly as possible, given the current circumstances. It cited an example when Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) allowed his uncle Al Abbas to pay his Zakat earlier than the due time to help the beneficiaries meet their needs. Likewise, Zakat Al Firt can also be paid earlier at the beginning of Ramadan, according to a number of scholars.

The Council pointed out that all types of Zakat are better spent within the country to help the beneficiaries meet their needs. They could also be paid to relevant authorities or charitable organisations that operate in collecting Zakat funds ad delivering them to the beneficiaries, like the Zakat Fund. If a surplus remained, then the funds could be sent to other needy Muslims through official channles like the Emirates Red Crescent and other licensed charitable organisations.

At the end of the meeting, the Council members called upon Muslims to utilise the holy month of Ramadan in pious worship and helping the needy people. They prayed to Allah to continue blessing the UAE and grant it success and continued health and care to its leadership and people and to save the whole world from the pandemic.WAM/Hassan Bashir

 

The UAE’s Sharia Council on Tuesday issued a fatwa prohibiting those infected or suspected of contracting coronavirus from attending congregational prayers, Friday prayer, Eid prayer and being in public places.

The fatwa made it clear that the public must follow all instructions issued by competent authorities including constant washing of hands with soap and water and covering nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing to prevent the spread of germs and viruses.

“Those suspected of being infected with Covid-19 must be quarantined and commit to treatment programme set out by health authorities” the Council said.

The fatwa also made it allowable for senior citizens, minors and those who suffer from respiratory diseases and weak immune system not to attend congregational prayers, Eid prayers, Taraweeh prayers and to perform acts of worship at home or their whereabouts rather than at mosques.

As for Hajj and Umrah, the council affirmed that all Muslims are obliged to abide by instructions issued by Saudi Arabia, out of its sovereign and legal responsibility to take care of pilgrims and visitors, and maintain the health and safety of all.

The council stressed that all bodies should, according to Sharia, cooperate with the competent authorities and provide necessary support – within their jurisdiction – to limit and eliminate the disease and prevent the spread of rumors. Information must be obtained from official sources and competent authorities, the fatwa added.

It also called on all entities and individuals to extend a helping hand to those who needs it and not to take advantage of some circumstance by raising prices, especially pharmaceutical products and treatment services.

A Statement of Solidarity from the New Alliance of Virtue

In these perilous days that humanity faces together, the signatories of the New Alliance of Virtue express their sympathy and solidarity with all who are af?icted by the coronavirus pandemic and praise those who are making efforts to mitigate its damage, especially the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff on the front lines. We likewise commend scientists and researchers in laboratories and universities, and we pray for their success in ?nding appropriate medical treatment and developing a vaccine as soon as possible.

In this extraordinary moment, we invite believers to re?ect on a number of points:
First, in the face of the blows of fate, we must contemplate human fragility and seek strength and mercy from God with the hope that God may grant us success and guidance in our efforts to overcome adversity and crisis.

Second, these circumstances, despite their dif?culties, renew our hope as believers in the mercy of God Almighty and in God’s kindness to his servants. This hope, which emanates from our faith in God, gives us optimism that these tribulations will pass and that humanity, with God’s mercy, will return to the worship of God and to creative, conscientious stewardship and development on earth.

Third, such calamities, remind us of the need for unity and remind us that human destiny, like that of passengers on a ship, is shared and interdependent such that there is no way to save some of us without cooperating to save all of us. Therefore, we call for collaboration between the developed and developing nations in response to the calamity.

Fourth, the way to serve and save humanity lies in doing that which is good, in love and charity, and in mutual solidarity. In these critical times, we must deepen our recognition that we as humans are part of one family sharing one home, planet earth. Our religions and this current crisis are clearly teaching us the truth of caring for the most vulnerable in our communities such as the poor, the hungry and the homeless.

Fifth, this virus, which does not recognize territorial boundaries or distinctions between races, or between the rich and the poor, is an opportunity for us to remind ourselves of human equality and to take to heart and remember the teaching of our Abrahamic religions that every soul—whoever that soul may be—represents all of humanity. Our religions oblige us to seek the safety, well-being, and protection of every soul from all forms of harm, whether they be epidemics, pandemics, oppression, or wars.

Sixth, as we are in the midst of Easter and Passover and approaching the holy month of Ramadan, we recommend following the instructions and guidance which best ensures the preservation of lives and the maintenance of the public good.

Finally, we ask God, the exalted, to lift this tribulation and resolve this crisis, and to have mercy on the people on earth. May God give us the strength to be patient and grateful, and to show compassion to one another and to cooperate in spreading goodness and piety.

List of Signatures

HE Shaykh ‘Abdallah Bin Bayyah
Chairman of the United Arab Emirates Fatwa Council & President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, U.A.E.

Dr. William F. Vendley
Secretary General Emiritus of Religions for Peace International, U.S.A.

Dr. Bobby Gene Roberts Jr
President of GlocalNet Inc. & Founder and Global Senior Pastor of Northwood Church, U.S.A.

Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig
Senior Rabbi, Washington Hebrew Congregation, U.S.A.

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson
Vice President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies & President of Zaytuna College, U.S.A.

Rabbi David Rosen
International Director of Interreligious Affairs, AJC (American Jewish Committee), U.K.

Imam Mohamed Hag Magid
Executive Imam of All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center, U.S.A.

Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi
Executive Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers & Forum for Peace in Muslim Societies Trustee, U.S.A.

Professor Thomas F. Farr
President of the Religious Freedom Institute, U.S.A.

Dr. Kent Hill
Senior Fellow, Religious Freedom Institute, U.S.A.

Rashad Hussain
Senior Counsel, Department of Justice, U.S.A.

Professor Amany Lubis
Rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, Indonesia.

Dr. Aisha Al-Adawiya
Founder of Women in Islam Inc., U.S.A

Marshall Jordan Breger
Professor of Law, The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, U.S.A.

Rabbi Burton Lyle Visotzky
Appleman Professor of Midrash and Director of Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue, Jewish Theological Seminary, U.S.A.

Imam Dr. Talib Muttaqee Shareef
President of Masjid Muhammad, The Nation’s Mosques, U.S.A.

Shaykh Dr. Umar Al-Qadri
Chair, Irish Muslim Peace Integration Council, Ireland.

Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh
Chairman, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha, U.K.

Canon Andy Thompson
Senior Anglican Priest, St. Andrew’s Church, U.A.E.

Download the Statement File (PDF)

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