corona virus

As our Masjids and Islamic centres become deserted over the next few days due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s a golden opportunity for community organization and Masjid boards, managements, Imams, and volunteers to think out of the box.

I teared up last Friday when a friend texted me “Juma Mubarak.” Juma, the Friday Prayer, is such a beautiful tradition--one that we grew up with--that missing it intentionally was incredibly painful. 

Earlier this evening, my husband was talking to the kids over dinner about the coronavirus (COVID-19) when the topic of how it started came up. He told them about the “wet markets” in China and further explained how different people across the world eat wild animals or bushmeat to survive.

With businesses, workplaces, and schools shutting down for weeks, having everyone in the home for an extended period of time is bound to create a number of serious mental health challenges, especially for families with children.

In our times, it seems the family unit has become a complex, compartmentalized, configuration of many moving schedules that must run like clockwork or risk catastrophe! Parents often leave the home early each day to work in offices, factories or retail environments.

In Islam, Wudu, the ablution before the five daily prayers, is a God-given gift to safeguard oneself from viruses, as it involves thorough and regular washing of the hands, nose, and throat.

No guided missile technology or drones can stop it. No military might can battle it. No political influence can slow it down. No money can bribe it. No person's rank will matter to the inevitably spreading COVID-19.