ISLAMABAD: The majority of religious clerics on Friday in Islamabad ignored the decree issued by“Darul Afta” of the ‘Pakistan Ulema Council’ (PUC) and ‘Wafaqul Madaris Pakistan’, as it was advised to avoid Urdu speeches during Friday prayers.
A couple of day before, in order to avoid spread of Coronavirus it was advised by “Darul Afta” of the ‘Pakistan Ulema Council’ (PUC) and ‘Wafaqul Madaris Pakistan’ to avoid long Urdu speeches especially during Jumma prayer. It was asked to be restricted only to Arabic sermons before the Jumma prayer.
However, yesterday it was witnessed in many big mosques around the city including Faisal mosque that the congregation prayer and sermons were lengthened against the directive of the government and decree of PUC.
The common citizens in capital also ignored the decree and the preventive directives of the government after hundreds of citizens performed their Sunnah in Masjid.
The decree issued by PUC had said that Sunnah of all five prayers should be performed at homes in order to avoid the possible threat of outbreak of virus.
The mosques in capital were seen jam packed and heavily crowded which is again the violation of decree as the decree had stated that sufficient space should be ensured between prayer lines (Saf) of mosques.
The decree had also said that joint prayers should be offered on bare floor and floors must be cleaned with soap and surf before offering each prayer but once again no heed was paid to the instructions as all the mosques were carpeted and Friday prayers were performed on the carpets.
The decree had stated that aged persons and children should offer prayers at home. Ablution centres of all mosques should be cleaned thoroughly. Soaps and sanitizers should be placed at the ablution centres, but a large number of aged people and children were seen in the mosques including Faisal Mosque and there was no soap or sanitizer which is the violation of decree and a threat to the local people of Pakistan.
On one side the decree says, “Preventive measures are not un-Islamic. Hand shaking and hugging is not obligatory, instead say only Assallamaalaikum to friends and others during meetings,” the decree reads. “People should use masks, sanitizers, as precautionary measures.”
On the other hand many clerics in their sermons criticised the directive of the government asking the citizens to try to spend less time in mosques while performing the prayer due to the threat of coronavirus outbreak.
However, in rest of the Muslim world including; Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Kuwait, and Iran have closed the doors of Mosques even on Friday to avoid the spread of virus and protect their citizens and unlike Pakistanis, the citizens of the rest of the Muslim world following the directives of their governments.
It is important to mention that Saudi Arabia, which chairs the Group of 20 major economies, announced an extraordinary virtual leaders summit next week “to put forward a coordinated set of policies to protect people and safeguard the global economy.
Globally, 176 countries have been affected, more than 10,000 people have died and more than 245,000 infected by the disease as it spreads rapidly to new territories.
The epicentre of the outbreak has now shifted to Europe, which is recording a rapid rise in new cases every day. If we do not take the directives of authorities seriously, there is a likelihood of a rapid rise in COVID-19 Cases. Therefore, other than government, people needs to cooperate in this regard to stop the spread of this novel virus.
How to utilize time at home due to coronavirus?
Coronavirus is spreading rapidly all across the globe and has a greater effect on mental health as well as physical. Almost 140 countries have been affected by a coronavirus. More than 6000 people have died due to covid19. The center of this virus was Wuhan but Chinese authorities have turned the tide against corona as this is successive 3rd day that no new case has emerged in China. Pakistan is also affected by covid19 and is currently in a state of partial lockdown while few hotpots are completely locked down. Pakistan Government has urged all to observe self-isolation and try not to come out of homes to control the spread of virus. The most important question for the parents and education institutes right now is how to keep young ones engaged to motivate them staying indoor and also avoid wasting their time?
Here are few suggestions on how to utilize this time instead of wasting it and getting worried:
1. Online Classes:
Online classes have been introduced in most of the Schools and Colleges with an initiative to facilitate students, it will help students to remain in touch with their teachers and continue the learning curve without a long pause. Students can also join online courses related to other activities of their interest on Websites like Courser, Future learn etc. The organizational employees can perform their work online while at home to keep organizations in functioning state.
2. Reading books:
Reading books can increase the imagination power and curiosity of children which play an important role in developing their personalities. It will also help them to discover their area of interests and develop habit of logical discussions. There are plenty of books for children to read and get benefited from such as author “Roald Dahl” wide array of books which are very useful for teenagers.
3. Watch Educational Videos:
Sites such as YouTube have become an effective tool of learning. The students of colleges and universities can utilize their time by watching educational YouTube videos and documentaries for enhancement of their knowledge. They can utilize this time to further enhance understanding of their respective field.
4. Develop skills:
The students should work on the development of their listening, writing, speaking and reading skills by joining online courses on websites such as Coursera, Future Learn, etc and achieve course certificates. They can also focus on new and interesting skills such as learning a new language, cooking, indoor physical exercises i.e yoga, stretching, breathing exercises, etc.
5. Photography:
The students can start a new hobby like Photography, learn the rules and types of photography, editing of videos and pictures and also learn about basic photography software such as adobe photoshop, coral draw which are in trends these days
6. Gardening:
This one is optional and recommended for those who have a garden or a big enough area within house to accommodate plants. Taking advantage of approaching spring, one can indulge in gardening to nurture and grow flowers. Gardening is a proper skill and requires requisite expertise and concentration. Learning such skills not only help the individual but also helps the environment. It also helps in developing love for plants.
7. Keep Connected with family and friends:
Avoid self-isolation and try mingling with family within house. Spend some quality time with your parents, siblings, and grandparents. Celebrate every day as a parent’s day by helping them in different chores to show affection and love.
Such activities will help us avoid overthinking about the current situation which can lead to anxiety. We should also try to stay away from social media which is creating panic by spreading unauthentic news. Most importantly, we should reflect on our life and try to improve upon what we consider our weaknesses. It will help us become a better person for the overall betterment of society. Well for now you can start by remining indoor and follow government instructions to help in controlling the spread of corona virus.