Assalaamu-alaikum dear brothers and sisters,
In view of the State of Connecticut executive order prohibiting gatherings of more than 250 and the strong advice from the medical community that COVID-19 spreads in asymptomatic individuals for 5 days prior to any sign of infection and the huge risk to the elderly, those who are immunocompromised and those who have heart and lung disease and the strong advice of the medical community that we keep a distance of 6 feet between each other, the board of Berlin masjid in coordination with many of the adjoining masajid have decided to suspend Jumma salat at the masjid until further notice. We take our responsibility as board members very seriously and this is not a decision we take lightly.
We strongly urge you to stay at home and pray Dhuhr Salat with your family and not seek places where you may infect yourself and the rest of the community around you! PLEASE take this advice as seriously as you can. In Islam we always assess the benefit versus the risk and having the responsibility of even one death of a member of our community is the priority we are considering at the highest level.
We are working to get a khotba prerecorded by Imam Refai and circulated to you through this email and we will try to get it up on our website and Facebook page. Please circulate this information among all the community you know.
Please use this opportunity to make dua for our community and the ummah from not only this severe disease COVID-19 but also remember those refugees and all those suffering only because they are Muslim – all over the world. This is the time, when we have a calamity that we accept Allah’s will and trust in Him. Indeed to Allah we belong and to Him is our return.
Please remember you should:
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Spend at least 20 seconds washing the front and back of your hands and in-between your fingers frequently.
- Avoid touching your face as much as you can.
- Try to boost your immune system with regular exercise and vitamin C containing foods – especially citrus fruits.
- Stay 6 feet away from each other as the virus depends on person to person transmission. Avoid people who are coughing or sneezing
- If you are not well – get rest – at least 8 hours of sleep and stay well hydrated. Take Tylenol for fever but if it persists call your doctor. If you get short of breath call your doctor.
- If you are sick wear a face mask.
Remember also, suspended until further notice are:
- All non essential programs including the potluck event on Saturday and from now until further notice.
- Sunday School with immediate effect until further notice.
- Arabic classes on Sunday afternoon will also be suspended until further notice.
- Monday and Thursday Qur’an class in the masjid until further notice.
- Arabic classes on Sunday in the masjid until further notice.
Although the masjid will remain open for daily prayers we are urging people to be cautious and not expose yourselves to unnecessary risk. Please do not shake hands or other bodily contact and bring your own prayer rug for your own safety and that of the community.
May Allah protect us all! Please make lots of dua and give in charity as a protection for your selves and your family and the community at large. Remember that once we take adequate precautions we trust in Allah (SWT) to protect us and He is the best to protect.
As things are changing rapidly please look out for further notices about changes. If there is a significant outbreak in the State we may have to take further action.
May Allah reward you all!
The IAGH board will meet on a regular basis to consider the risk to the community in making our decisions. We want you to be safe and aware of the difficult decisions ahead and understand that we are doing everything for the benefit of the community and in keeping with the Quranic and prophetic guidelines.
IAGH board
For more information visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IAGHBERLIN and enjoy the pictures of our recent events (Don’t forget to like us on Facebook) and visit our website at https://www.berlinmosque.org/