KANGAR, May 5 – Muslims in the state began to hold activities to enliven mosques in the last ten days of Ramadan although the COVID-19 pandemic is showing no signs of abating.
It is a different atmosphere compared to the previous year as the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPs) has allowed iktikaf (staying in mosques) and qiyamullail (voluntary night prayer) to be performed at mosques starting from 3 am, subject to the physical distancing rule.
A Bernama check found that the qiyamullail programmes held at many mosques in the state are filled with religious activities including Quran recitations, tahajud prayers and the pre-dawn meal session.
The flexibility granted by MAIPs has given Muslims in the state the opportunity to let go of their ‘longing’ after being not allowed to perform activities to enliven mosques last year due to the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
All the mosques are also found to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set, including providing the MySejahtera QR Code to facilitate the registration of congregations and recording their body temperatures.
Muslims are encouraged to perform qyamullail in the last 10 days of Ramadan to gain the blessings of lailatulqadar, where the reward of worship on this night is better than a thousand months.
Sources: BERNAMA