A mosque is a place where Muslims gather five times a day to offer Salah(Prayers). A mosque by the virtue of the religion Islam is not merely a place of worship but also serves as an educational institution. It is a platform where information about daily life is disseminated and teachings of Islam as well as teachings related to morals and ethics, are taught. But the storm of the global pandemic has also impacted the normal mundane of mosques. The restrictions on public gatherings around the world have caused shutting down or partly open mosques. Given that a mosque is the central and pivotal institution of Muslims, all mosques including a mosque UK have served their services in the pandemic despite lockdowns.
Significance of Mosque during lockdown:
A responsible social institution:
Generally, the megaphone of the mosques is used to call Muslims for prayers all the time. But during the pandemic, they were used to disseminate public service messages. The Imams of the mosques have played a central role in this service. Imam is the leader of prayer, under whom Muslims perform prayers in a mosque. Imams of different mosques around the world came to the front in guiding the public about safety measures. In the first stage of the pandemic, mosques would announce the guidelines issued by their respective governments, which include the SOPs (Standard operation Practices). In countries where mosques were not shut down, they stressed following SOPs while performing the prayers like keeping a gap of 6 feet between each other, using face mask and gloves, and sterilizing the surfaces, doorknobs and other fixtures.
In such mosques, Imams guided the public regarding how to cope up with the global pandemic. But many major mosques around the world remained shut, and they even called off Friday prayers, which are compulsory to offer in mosque according to Islamic teachings. In the UK, many Muslim associations, including the Muslim Council of Britain asked to shut down mosques and set up video links to live stream communal worship. So, as a whole, we can say that Mosques acted responsibly in the midst of the global crisis.
Quarantine centres:
The mosques have also played role in giving aid to the affected from the covid-19. Lots of mosques around the world turned into quarantine centres, especially in an underdeveloped country where there was a shortage of beds in the hospital. The mosques lend their premises to people suffering from health problems regardless of any social, cultural, and religious differences. The mosques have always tried to play their part in social service in volunteerism. And its role in the pandemic is the testimony of its commitment to people’s welfare and prosperity.
Vaccination centres:
Today, as the vaccination for covid-19 is available worldwide, the mosques are on the front line in offering the services. Many mosques around the world, including a few in Birmingham and London, have turned into vaccination centres. Thousands of people are getting vaccinated in various mosques around the world, including the UK. In Islam, the preservation of one life is considered the preservation of the whole of humanity. Therefore, mosques are offering services to offer vaccinations for the people as it is by far the learn Quran to combat the pandemic.
Final words:
Mosques have played a central role amid the global pandemic. They have remained at the forefront in thqurae dissemination of public service messages regarding the SOPs issued by their respective authorities. Not only this, all mosques shut down, except for some in a few countries, and offered the place for the service of public health. The premises of mosques were and are rendered for people as quarantine centres and are currently serving as the vaccination centres.
