Morocco closed mosques and public places such as restaurants and cafes in mid-March to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Rabat – With Eid Al Fitr just around the corner, the Supreme Scientific Council issued a press release today, May 20 asking Moroccans to perform prayers at home due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“One of the established rituals of the religion of God and his Islamic Sunnah is Eid prayers during Eid Al-Fitr and Al-Adha,” the statement reads.
The council acknowledged the magnitude of the religious ritual, recalling the basic principle that Eid prayers usually take place at mosques’ outdoor halls and their interiors.
The statement emphasized that scholars of the Maliki school, and others, stipulated that Eid al Fitr prayers are permissible at home. According to the scholars, this applies if worshippers cannot perform the rituals at mosques due to extenuating circumstances, as is the case this year with COVID-19.
Morocco is expected to celebrate the first day of Eid on May 24, according to astronomers.
The council said that the purpose behind the home-based Eid decision is to preserve the safety and health of citizens amid the scourge of the COVID-19 spread.
Traditionally, Moroccans convene at mosques on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Moroccans, however, will have to perform Eid prayers at home.The country recently extended its lockdown until June 10 to keep the epidemiological situation under control.
Worshippers also had to perform Ramadan’s taraweeh prayers at home, due to the lockdown.
The new directive from the supreme council is in line with the country’s preventive measures, calling for social distancing to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
The council issued a similar statement prior to the start of Ramadan, requesting that Muslims perform taraweeh prayers at home rather than at a mosque.
The Islamic institution closed all mosques in Morocco on March 16 amid mounting fears of the spread of COVID-19.
Morocco has confirmed 7,133 COVID-19 cases, including 194 deaths and 4,098 recoveries, to date.
