KARACHI: Religious scholars have urged the mourners (azadar) of Imam Hussain to compulsorily follow the government’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Covid-19 during Muharram processions and gatherings to contain the spread of the highly contagious disease.

Islam is the religion of wisdom, and Imam Hussain and his companions made sacrifices to protect wisdom, which requires the followers of Syed-us-Shuhada to behave in a rational way in the tough time of the pandemic, they said.

Earlier, a large segment of the nation disregarded the precautions for the ongoing pandemic on the occasion of Eidul Azha and Independence Day, the scholars pointed out while talking to Dawn on Saturday.

Children and elderly people asked not to attend Muharram gatherings

Imambargahs and mosques have also issued notices advising mourners to attend gatherings but according to the SOPs announced by the government.

Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen Pakistan (MWM) Sindh secretary general Allama Baqir Abbas Zaidi said that all mourning gatherings (majalis) and processions (jaloos) would be observed under the guidelines (SOPs) of the federal government, including mask-wearing and social distancing, to contain the spread of Covid-19 during Muharram.

This tough time warrants that mourners be alert and prudent against the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, adding that the agreement with SOPs is an example of one’s wisdom. Imam Hussain sacrificed to protect this wisdom which is the spirit of Islam, Allama Zaidi said.

Shabbar Raza, the central leader of the Jafariya Alliance Pakistan, said that earlier we had a meeting with the president of Pakistan to discuss the health guidelines to be followed in the ongoing Muharram.

He said: “The meeting gave us the health guideline (SOPs).”

Following the government health guidelines, our scouts have designed SOPs to curb the spread of Covid-19 in religious gatherings and processions, he said, adding that SOPs include sanitizer gates, distribution of face masks, and arrangements to confirm social distancing in majalis and jaloos.

Prominent scholar and a senior faculty member of the University of Karachi Dr Zahid Ali Zahidi said that there were more than 2,000 Imambargahs and mosques in the city, where majalis of Imam Hussain are held, especially in the first 10 days of the month. He said that all mujtahideen (grand clerics) had directed all Muslims in the world to follow the directions of health experts in the ongoing pandemic while observing mourning of Imam Hussain.

Young scholar Agha Syed Mubashir Haider Zaidi said: “The devotees need to understand that the sense of responsibility is one of many meanings of Hussainiyat.”

The mourners of Imam Hussain owe a great responsibility against the fatal disease and its spread during the ongoing holy month, he said. If health guidelines are not pursued in majalis and processions, the spread of the disease could gain momentum again, he warned.

Like various managements of mosques and Imambargahs, the trust of Mehfil-i-Murtaza, situated in PECHS, on its website announced that all majalis programmes will be held according to the SOPs announced by the government.

According to the announcement, children under 10 years of age and adults above 65 are requested not to come to the gatherings and attend them online. The trust also asked mourners to maintain social distancing, and wear masks on the mehfil premises. The trust of Mehfil-i-Murtaza also announced that this year only men’s majalis will be held during the first 12 days of Muharram.

Similarly, the administration of Imambargah Madinat-ul-Ilm, situated in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Block-5, restricted the attendance of people above 55 and children under 12 in the majalis programmes to be held in the Imambargah.

Almost similar measures have been taken in different Imambargahs and mosques, including Mehfil-i-Shah-i-Khurasan, Babul Ilm etc, in the metropolis during Muharram.

On the other hand, MWM secretary general Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafari, in a press conference held in Karachi, said the mourners would follow the SOPs but nobody would be allowed to restrict Muharram azadari under any pretext.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2020