Lahore:
Due to the ongoing fury of the third wave of Corona, the Punjab government has banned I’tekaaf in mosques and shrines across Punjab. Due to the horrific spread of Corona, the Punjab Endowment Department has taken an important decision that I’tikaf in all mosques and shrines in the province has been banned.
According to details, an important decision has been taken by the Punjab Endowment Department due to the terrible outbreak of the deadly global epidemic Corona in Punjab. The Punjab Endowment Department has banned I’tikaf in all mosques and shrines of the province. A formal notification has also been issued in this regard.
According to the endowment department, it was decided to ban itikaf due to the uncontrollable corona epidemic in the province. Under the ruling, itikaf will not be allowed in mosques and shrines during the last decade of Ramadan. Asif Ijaz, spokesperson of the Punjab Department of Endowments and Religious Affairs, said that due to the Corona epidemic, there will be no mass retreat this year in the mosques under the department of endowments, especially in the Data Darbar Mosque, Badshahi Mosque and Wazir Khan Mosque.
In this regard, the city of Itikaf has also been canceled by Minhaj-ul-Quran International. Those who wish to observe I’tikaaf have been asked to sit in their homes or buy rations for the poor and deserving from the expenses of I’tikaaf. Money can also be used to get the corona vaccine. While Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, the superintendent of Jamia Ashrafia, has said that it is the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to observe I’tikaf in Ramadan, but in the epidemic we are facing at the moment, saving human lives is also a priority. Implementation of SOPs will also be ensured.
Allama Dr. Ragheb Naeemi, the superintendent of Jamia Naeema Lahore, said that due to the Corona epidemic, like last year, only a few people will observe I’tikaf in the mosque this year. However, children, the elderly and the sick should avoid itikaf.
