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CMO issues fatwah regarding commencement of Ramadan

20 April 2020 12:02 (UTC +04:00)

The Kadis’ Council of the Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) has issued a fatwah regarding the beginning of the Ramadan month, the CMO told APA.

The fatwah reads this year according to the emergence of Half-Moon on the horizon on the territory of our country, the 1st day of the Ramadan month will coincide with the 25th of April, 2020 by the Christian chronology.

"We enter this year’s Ramadan amid the threat of the virus which is rapidly spreading worldwide. Our state and the world community are working with great diligence in order to eliminate the calamity posing serious danger to human health and deadly threat, while all possible protection and treatment measures are being implemented. In such hard times, we, the religious figures, express our support for the unprecedented measures taken by our state in order to protect human life and call on our citizens to unconditionally obey requirements of the existing special quarantine regime and doctors’ recommendations. According to the requirements of special quarantine regime, we, in our turn, have made a decision to temporarily suspend prayers at mosques and sanctuaries.

We, religious figures, are supporting all restrictive measures by taking into consideration the current disease spreads by contact, communication. We recommend not to hold religious ceremonies, which are not essential in accordance with Sharia (Islamic law) and based on traditions (Ihsan, Mawlid, so on.) in the period of special quarantine regime. Funeral ceremonies, which are essential from the Islamic law point of view, should be held within the restricted framework in terms of following rules of Sharia during the quarantine period. We are calling on people to organize Iftar with only members of the family at every home. We are noting all these recommendations are temporary by nature due to the disease, which has gripped the world."

The fatwah reads the Eydul-Fitr – Ramadan holiday will coincide with the 1st day of the Shavval month – the 24th of May based on the time of emergence of Moon on the horizon on the territory of our country: “Proceeding from the decision that will be taken by the Azerbaijani government regarding the period of the special quarantine regime applied in the country, we will provide you additional information about the holiday namaz (pray)".