Egypt: Friday sermon to be aired live without worshipers

Al-Azhar Mosque will hold a Friday prayer for first time since March, but only in the presence of the mosque’s imams and staff and without the attendance of worshipers, Egypt’s top Muslim institution said. Al-Azhar added that today’s sermon will be delivered by well-known cleric, Ahmed Omar Hashem, a member of Al-Azhar’s senior scholars, on […]

Al-Azhar Mosque will hold a Friday prayer for first time since March, but only in the presence of the mosque’s imams and staff and without the attendance of worshipers, Egypt’s top Muslim institution said.

Al-Azhar added that today’s sermon will be delivered by well-known cleric, Ahmed Omar Hashem, a member of Al-Azhar’s senior scholars, on “Islam in the face of calamities.”

The sermon will be aired on TV and social media platforms, the statement noted. All congregational prayers have been suspended in Egypt since March as a preventive measure against the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, the weekly prayer was performed at Cairo’s Al-Sayyida Nafisa Mosque as the country’s endowments ministry decided to resume holding Friday prayers every week at one mosque in the presence of only 20 worshipers.

More countries have opened their mosques for congregational prayers but with strict measures in place.

The precautionary measures include wearing of face masks at all times, bringing own prayer mats performing ablution at home and disallowing the aged and children from attending mosques.