20 mosques offer up to 100 congregants per zone for Friday prayer

1. Over the past year, there have been many adjustments to the religious life of Singapore Muslims arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. These adaptations were guided by religious advice from the Fatwa Committee and the Office of the Mufti, and the Singapore Muslim community has adapted well to the changes required during this pandemic.

2. With the steady decrease in weekly infection growth rate during the current Stabilisation Period, MUIS is currently working with mosques to steadily increase the congregation size to up to 100 congregants per zone. Several mosques have started accommodating more than 50 congregants for daily prayer, and 20 mosques will offer up to 100 congregation per zone this Friday.

3. Daily and congregational prayers will continue to be conducted with safe distancing, shortened duration, enhanced cleaning regimens, separate entrances and exits, as well as adoption of Trace Together application for contact tracing.

4. Commenting on these latest development, Deputy Mufti Dr Mohammad Hannan Hassan urges the community to continue their social responsibility to keep the community safe.

Our community has stood firm and united in facing the pandemic, of which we are grateful. As a sign of our gratitude, it is important that we continue to preserve the daruriyyat, the essentials of our religion (Shari’ah) and observe cautious approach as more religious activities are resuming. Safe distancing between saf¹ is still required, and rukhsah (concession) for Friday prayer for those unable to book for a Friday prayer slot still applies. Nevertheless, we are grateful that there has been progress in how we conduct our religious obligation in our mosques. The cooperation by our Jemaah in adapting the many changes and SMM at our mosques has been exceptional, and much appreciated. I call upon our congregants to obtain a slot for Friday prayer every week, where possible.

5. MUIS and mosques will continue to monitor the situation and provide further adjustments as the situation allows. We seek the support and understanding of the Muslim community to safeguard public health as we perform our religious obligations in our mosques.

Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura

¹ Distance between the imam and the congregants, and between the congregants in the same prayer row.