Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Mar 19 : In the midst of the ongoing fight against coronavirus, Imam Maulana Kalbe Jawad Naqvi, General Secretary of Majlis-e-Ulama-e-Hind, on Thursday announced that the Juma congregation in the Asifi Mosque has been postponed.
According to Naqvi, the Friday prayer proceedings scheduled to be held on March 20 and 27 were postponed in view of public health risks due to the lethal infection.
He also appealed all Imams (leader of Friday prayers) to postpone the Friday prayers in other mosques across the country.
He stated that India was also in the grasp of the deadly coronavirus, and it was the duty of the citizens to follow the instructions given by doctors. He further urged people to pray for the protection of the word from the virus.
Meanwhile, Abdul Azeez, Chief Imam of Karumbukadai Sunnath Jamath, Coimbatore, also advised the Muslim community to reduce Friday prayers by 20 minutes instead of 90 minutes.
He also advised that people suffering from coughs or colds should not offer prayer in the mosques.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the country reached 169. No fatality has been reported in the last 24 hours in the country. Three people have so far died of the infection in the country.
( With inputs from ANI )