The presence of Muslims at mosques across the country, including the capital, for offering Jum'a prayers on Friday was comparatively low following the outbreak of deadly coronavirus.
However, the Muslims who joined the Jum’a offered special prayers seeking blessings of Almighty Allah for protecting Bangladesh from the wrath of coronavirus.
Besides, imams read out a short ‘Khutba’ to curb the rapid spread of the virus in the country and discussed awareness issues to tackle the situation.
Meanwhile, mosque committees and social organisations distributed leaflets among devotees in front of different mosques to raise awareness among general people.
Visiting several mosques in the city, this correspondent found that the number of Musolllis (devotees) was thin than any other normal time.
Musollis were seen wearing masks while offering prayers and many stood in rows maintaining a short distance from others.
Earlier, Islamic Foundation urged people to keep presence at the mosques limited during the Jum’a prayers to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.
The authorities also urged Muslims to come to mosques only to offer Farz prayers of Jum’a. Even it requested all concerned to offer their Sunnah and Nafl prayers at home.
Maulana Nurul Amin, an imam of Chan Khaa Jame Masjid at Sikkaroli of Bangshal, said they offered special prayers for the safety of the people after Jum’a. “We read ‘Khutba’ in short as per the instructions of the government and urged people to be conscious about the virus,” he added.
“Under this circumstance, there’s no-one but Almighty Allah who can save us. So, we read doa of Prophet (S) who asked us to read those in time of danger,” he said.
Abdul Hamil, a musolli at a mosque in Old Dhaka, said they went to mosques very carefully to offer prayers. “We’re in panic. We wore masks while offering prayers,” he said.
Bangladesh has so far reported five deaths from Covid-19.Besides, there are currently 28 patients under treatment while 11 others have already made recovery.
