Preservation of Life against Dangers Takes Precedence over Any Other Act, Higher Council of Ulema

Rabat - The preservation of life against all dangers takes precedence, from the Sharia point of view, over any other act, including supererogatory prayers and the Sunna of worship, said on Tuesday the Higher Council of Ulema. In a statement on the month of Ramadan, the Council said that the Commandership of the Faithful is concerned with the protection of our lives in the first place and the fulfillment of our religion in the second, it closely follows the health situation in the Kingdom, and it is keen to reopen the mosques when the conditions are met as part of the return to normal life.

The provisions of Sharia stipulate to comply with the order of the Imam of the Ummah and to follow His advice and His guidance, said the Council, noting that acts of worship of Allah, whatever they are, are not deprived of rewarding in the event of incapacity to carry them out, whether they are the obligatory acts, like the Hajj, or the various authorizations dictated by Sharia, and a fortiori, for actions motivated by a sincere intention but practically impossible to perform among the acts of Sunnah, including the Tarawih and Aid prayers. The Council noted that the performance of Tarawih in mosques can be replaced by prayer at home, individually or collectively, with family members, without risk taking, explaining that from the Sharia point of view group prayer is accomplished by more than one person. The Council said that the principle of acceptance of the destiny of Allah would protect from any feeling contrary to the aforementioned provisions, calling to turn to Allah the Almighty and implore Him to remove evil and ward off misfortune. As the month of Ramadan approaches, the month of piety and forgiveness, the Council recalled the manifestations of worship which mark this sacred month in the Kingdom, in particular the religious lectures chaired by the commander of the faithful, the prayers of Tarawih and the celebration of the night of Destiny (Laylat Al Qader), and of Eid. The Council recalled that our country, like all the countries of the world, is undergoing the state of health emergency to protect itself against the epidemic, with the measures of prohibition of gatherings which pose the risk of contagion threatening health, even life, this is the reason why the Higher Council of Ulema issued a Fatwa in response to a request sent by HM the King, commander of the faithful, stipulating the closing of mosques.