By Ashwin Kumar
SHAH ALAM, April 8 — The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has suspended the congregational tarawih prayers and breaking of fast events with the public due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The Selangor Ruler’s private secretary Datuk Mohamad Munir Bani in a statement today said the decision was made as part of the precautionary measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.
"It has been a tradition for the Selangor Sultan to have ‘buka puasa’ with the people in all of the districts during the month of Ramadan.
"Unfortunately, putting the safety of the people first, the Selangor Sultan, with a heavy heart, has decided to suspend the breaking of fast events and tarawih prayers with the people.
"The decision was made in order to curb the spread of the disease and to prevent the people from the risk of infection," he said today.
Mohamad Munir, however, said the handing out of ‘duit raya’ and distribution of zakat to asnaf (eligible zakat recipients) will continue through online transaction or cash vouchers.
"The recipients will receive RM500 cash aid and zakat allocation from the Selangor Zakat Board (LZS) through the safer and efficient method of crediting the amount into the recipients’ bank accounts.
"LZS will also provide cash vouchers to those who do not have a bank account. The vouchers can be claimed at any nearest Bank Islam branch," he said in the statement.
Sultan Sharafuddin also advised the Muslim community in Selangor to adhere to the guidelines provide by the Health Ministry during the month of Ramadan.
"Sultan Sharafuddin prays that the people will be spared from the Covid-19 infection and that the country will see the end of the pandemic soon," he added.
