Listening To The MUI's Explanation About The Three Friday Prayers Due To COVID-19

Residents praying at the Raden Saleh Mosque (Irfan Meidianto / voi)

JAKARTA - The government has issued an appeal not to perform Friday prayers at mosques to avoid transmission of the corona virus or COVID-19 from congregations who gather at the mosque. This policy has been running for three weeks.

Secretary of the Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Asrorun Niam Sholeh explained, MUI has issued a fatwa, a person who is in an area with a high potential for transmission can replace Friday prayers with Zuhur prayers at home.

However, there are three types of people who do not observe Friday prayers with different laws. First, a person who does not pray on Friday because he has denied his Friday obligations will be punished as an infidel.

"Second, a Muslim who does not pray on Friday because he is lazy, then he is sinning and is considered to have committed immorality. If he does not Friday three times because he is lazy, Allah locks his heart to death," Asrorun explained in a statement received by VOI, Friday, April 3.

Third, there is a provision for Muslims not to carry out Friday services because there is a syar'i age. This provision allows for non-performing Friday prayers in mosques.

Asrorun explained, according to the view of the jurisprudence scholars, the age of syar'i as an excuse for not praying on Friday was partly due to illness. When he does not pray three times in a row because of illness, then he is not a sinner either.

The next age of syar'i is worrying about illness. Now, in the conditions when gathering and crowding it is strongly suspected that you will be affected by an epidemic or transmit diseases including COVID-19, then this is included in the shar'i age not to be Friday. This condition is being experienced by the community.

"Until now, the COVID-19 epidemic has not been controlled and resolved. The potential for transmission and spread is still high. Thus, the age of syar'i, which has led to the absence of gatherings for worship such as Friday prayers, still exists," said Asrorun.

Furthermore, Asrorun explained, as long as there was still an age, he was still allowed to stay on Friday and for him was not a sin. His obligation is to replace it with Zuhr prayers.