Q: What is the fatwa with regards to performing salaah with the social distance protocol during this pandemic of covid 19?
A: This is against the hadeeth. The hadeeth commands us to join the saffs. It also teaches us that the one who joins the saff Allah Ta`ala will join him i.e. embrace him, and the one who breaks the saff Allah Ta`ala will break him. Epidemics occurred all the time, in the time of Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu anhum) and great imaams, but they never distanced themselves. The most that could happen is that the one who was confirmed as the victim then there was a distance kept from him. Hence, to frighten people in this unnatural and unreasonable way is really inhumane and it is a type of zulm on people. And the Quraan says that Allah Ta`ala's curse is on the zaalimeen.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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