Religious Rituals During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Insights from Islamic Bioethics

During the times of massive crises like the current coronavirus pandemic, individuals and communities consult their “moral systems” looking for support and coping mechanisms. For religious communities, congregational rituals make an integral part of these coping mechanisms, which strengthen their relationship with God, the Omnipotent, who can provide the best support. However, mounting scientific evidence espoused with WHO guidelines urged people and governments to postpone or cancel mass gatherings because they entail risks of spreading the new virus. In the beginning, Muslim religious scholars seemed divided, and sometimes even confused, about how to incorporate new scientific data within the long-established religio-ethical discourse on congregational rituals. This article is meant to give a historical and analytical account of what happened in this regard and how Muslim religious scholars try to engage with available scientific information.