Dubai Islamic Affairs: Ramadan Taraweeh prayers can be done at home amid coronavirus

Muslims can perform Taraweeh prayers at home during the holy month of Ramadan amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) of the Dubai Government said on Friday.

Muslims who pray Taraweeh to finish reading the Holy Quran can hold on to the book in their hands and recite while praying, added the department according to local newspaper Khaleej Times.

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Taraweeh are the evening prayers performed after Isha prayers every night during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Dubai extended on Friday the 24-hour lockdown for another week as the authorities continue the national sterilization. Dubai police also tightened restrictions on the movement permits.

The IACAD had announced on Monday the extension of the closure of Dubai’s mosques until further notice. The decision came in coordination with the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority and the General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments as part of the country’s efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh, the highest religious authority in the country, said on Friday that Taraweeh prayers and Eid al-Fitr prayers should be performed at home if the coronavirus outbreak continues, according to state news agency SPA.

Muslims line up, side-by-side, shoulders touching when praying in groups, also known as jamaa’a. However, several Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and others have suspended group prayers in mosques until further notice to slow the spread of the virus. Egypt officially suspended all public group iftar and activities earlier this month as a precautionary measure as well.