PETALING JAYA: A popular preacher has hit out at Muslims who organise special prayer sessions which have been deliberately timed simultaneously, describing such actions as “foolish” and “logically wrong”.
Ismail Musa Menk said getting Muslims to pray at the same time was against the principle of prayers in Islam, which he said are done throughout the day in different time zones around the world.
“We are not going to earn the pleasure of Allah by coming out with a strategy that is unheard of, unknown,” said Menk, better known as Mufti Menk, a Zimbabwean preacher who is well known for his motivational talks.
“Let’s not be hoodwinked into doing something foolish, thinking it is actually good,” he added.
Several Muslim groups had called for such virtual congregational events in the past, including mass recitations of the Quran worldwide during a specific hour of the day.
Similar calls have also made rounds recently as mosques nationwide shut down under Putrajaya’s movement control order to contain the Covid-19 virus.
Several media organisations and Islamic groups have also backed similar prayer sessions, with the involvement of a government leader, calling on Muslims to join virtual congregations at a specific time so that they can do so simultaneously.
Menk said Muslim worship has been planned in such fashion so that it is done all the time.
He said Muslims should instead improve themselves while they are cooped up indoors and abstain from bad habits.
“Practise good hygiene and social distancing. Do what’s right in this current climate. Numbers are rising. Governments are taking drastic measures trying to contain the spread. Let’s do our best,” he said in a separate Twitter post. - FMT
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