Perak allows Friday, Aidilfitri prayer at mosques, surau

The Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah has consented to Friday prayer to be held in mosques and surau in the state from tomorrow after getting the views of the State Fatwa Committee.

Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk) chief executive officer Shahrul Azam Shaari said Sultan Nazrin also consented to the coming Aidilfitri prayer to be held at the houses of worship.

However, he said, the permission to hold the prayers is subjected to several conditions, including the number of the congregation to not exceed 12 people, including the imam and the khatib.

"The mosques and surau are still not open to the public. The chairman of the respective mosque/surau committee should identify and ensure members of the congregation are confined to only the committee members and officials.

"Individuals over the age of 60 are not encouraged to attend the prayer. Those with symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, sore throat and flu, history of diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, cancer are not allowed to attend the prayer," he said in a statement here today.

Apart from that, Shahrul Azam said that those attending the prayer are required to check their body temperature, to use hand sanitiser, record their attendance in the attendance book, perform the ablution prior to arriving at the mosque/surau and to bring along their own prayer mat.

He said the use of loud speakers by the mosques/surau where the Friday and Aidilfitri prayers are held is allowed for the reading of the sermon and "takbir", respectively

The duration for the Friday prayer, from the call for prayer (azan) and sermon (khutbah), and the "takbir" and sermon for Aidilfitri prayer should be over by 20 minutes, he said, adding that the sermons prepared by the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPK) for both the prayers should be brief and should not take more than 10 minutes to be read out.

On the arrangement of the saf and position of members of the congregation during the prayers, Shahrul Azam said, it has to be in compliance with the standard operating procedures issued by the Health Ministry.

Members of the congregation are required to disperse after the prayers are completed as no food or drinks is allowed to be served at the mosques/surau, he added.

He said the chairman of the respective mosque/surau committees would be required to ensure all the conditions and guidelines are observed and complied with, failing which the permission for their mosque/surau to hold the prayer would be withdrawn.

- BERNAMA