Selangor sultan orders increase in Friday prayer congregation sizes

SHAH ALAM – Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has ordered that the number of worshippers performing Friday prayers be increased for mosques and surau in the state that are allowed to hold Friday prayers.

“For example, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque will be able to allow up to 3,500 worshippers compared to 2,000 currently.

“For district mosques (the number) is increased to between 700 to 1,000 worshippers depending on the total capacity of each of the mosque while (the number of worshippers allowed) in institutional mosques is increased to between 500 to 1,200, and between 400 to 700 worshippers for management mosques,” said the ruler in a statement posted on the official Selangor Royal Office Facebook page today.

Sultan Sharafuddin said this after examining the latest data on the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, which showed that daily deaths in the state had dropped to single digits.

According to statistics, as of October 27, the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in Selangor amounted to 9,581 people, half of which were Malay Muslims.

However, with this latest relaxation, the ruler strongly reminded worshippers to view the matter seriously and continue to be careful and always abide by the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the Health Ministry and Selangor Islamic Religious Department when performing their religious obligations at mosques.

He also said that he hoped all the people would shoulder the responsibility to curb the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak.

“We must win and return to normal life. I do not want negligence in complying with the SOPs to cause a rise in Covid-19 cases that will lead to the reimplementation of the movement control order,” he added.

The sultan said people can no longer afford to face another lockdown that will make daily life difficult and affect their source of income.

He also called on the people, especially the Muslims, to continue to pray so that the state and country are protected against pandemics, plagues and disasters. – Bernama, October 31, 2021