Believers of Northern Caucasus perform Friday namaz outside mosques

Muslims of Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Chechnya held their Friday namaz (prayer) at home, as mosques are under quarantine because of coronavirus. Some believers hoped to get to the mosque today – they are worried that they have to violate the prescription of compulsory collective prayers.

The Imam of the "Tangim" mosque in Makhachkala and his deputy held their Friday prayer together in an empty mosque, a source from the mosque told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Collective prayers in mosques of Chechnya will not be held until the epidemiological situation stabilizes, the republic's Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM, or Muftiate) has noted.

Local residents are worried that they miss Friday prayers.

Muslim, a clergyman, has treated the ban on Friday prayers in mosques as justified. "A Muslim must protect his and others' health in the event of an epidemic," he has explained.

The quarantine measures, currently in force, were introduced not for the first time in the history of Islam, Alim Sizhazhev, the republic's SAM deputy chairman, has stated.

The SAM of Kabardino-Balkaria closed mosques because of coronavirus since March 24. The clergy also urged locals not to gather in large groups at funerals.