Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- Ahmed Raissouni, the president of the World Association of Muslim Scholars, criticized religious leaders who called “coronavirus a punishment from God,” stressing that what they did amounts to calumny, as they present their own opinions as that of God.
“Nobody knows, only God really knows,” Raissouni said.
“Only God knows the wisdom in such pandemics,” Raissouni stressed.
Raissouni said that the fatwa they issued to stop prayers in mosques was based on evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah (prophetic tradition), and both stress the absolute necessity of preserving life in Islam.
Raissouni said that the first element that the World Association of Muslims Scholars based their Fatwa on is a verse in the Qur’an, which translates to “do not throw yourselves into destruction, and do good. Truly, God loves the good-doers.”
Regarding the second element, Raissouni referred to the prophet Muhammed’s hadith, “There should be neither harming (darar) nor reciprocating harm (dirar),” stressing that any situation of harm should be avoided in Islam.
Raissouni also referred to another prophetic tradition, that when prophet Muhammed (PBUH) ordered people who eat garlic to not pray in mosques, as the unpleasant smell will annoy believers.
Raissouni also said that their fatwa did not base itself on the principle of “protecting life over protecting religion” as religion is still preserved with “prayers and calls to prayers still taking place,” further noting that jamaaa (group) prayer is “a complementary part” of the aforementioned principle.
“The prayer is the fundamental part of it, and this latter is still taking place,” Raissouni noted.
The Moroccan Times.
