Saudi Arabia Tells Muslims to Perform Eid al-Fitr Rites at Home

Muslims in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to perform their Eid al-Fitr prayers at home this year as a result of the closure of mosques in response to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, national news service Al Arabiya reported Monday.

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh said on Sunday that either individually or in a group, Muslims should start praying 15 to 30 minutes after sunrise and carry on until the Duha prayer, the voluntary prayer between the obligatory sunrise and noon prayer. To observe Zakat al-Fitr, the donation Muslims must make to the poor before the beginning of Eid, the Grand Mufti advised that they instead make a contribution to reliable charitable organizations.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the closure of mosques around the world to contain the spread of the disease. However, many devout Muslims have been caught violating the lockdown measures to observe holy rituals in various Islamic countries, sometimes at the advice of religious leaders.

The guidance provided by the Grand Mufti follows the decision made by Saudi authorities last week to extend the lockdown measures throughout the country a further five days until Wednesday, May 28.

Khaled bin Ali Batarfi, a professor of social studies at Alfaisal University in Riyadh, told The Media Line the extension had been expected given that Eid al-Fitr generally involves people gathering in large groups to “visit markets, gardens, or to any other entertainment places, which usually are crowded with people, in contradiction to the precautionary measures taken during the COVID-19 crisis.”

Batarfi added that unlike in other parts of the world, he expects Saudis to abide by the measures.

“When there’s an official decision by the government, people feel obligated and commit to it. If such a thing were left without organization and planning, people would feel obligated to socialize. The decision saved face for people,” he explained. “People are still showing acceptance because they understand it is for their own safety.”

With a relatively small population of around 34 million people, Saudi Arabia has recorded the 14th highest number of coronavirus cases worldwide. According to official figures, nearly 60,000 people have contracted the virus.

Health authorities claim that 329 people have died as a result, a suspiciously low figure that places it massively out of line with global trends. In Belgium, for example, around 56,000 people have confirmed cases of the virus, causing the deaths of at least 9,100, an abnormally high mortality rate of around 16 percent.

Other Islamic governments, including Iraq and the Palestinian Authority, have similarly decided to impose curfews to prevent the spread of the virus.

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