GEORGE TOWN: Penang will not emulate Kelantan, which has issued a directive for all restaurant operators to cease operations during terawih prayers throughout Ramadan.
While he viewed the proposal positively, Penang mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said eateries in Penang did not have to close between 8.30pm and 10pm.
“We will leave it to eatery owners to decide whether they want to close their businesses during those hours this month,” he said today.
“The closure of eateries during the stipulated hours will allow Muslims to fulfil their terawih prayers comfortably.”
It was reported that all restaurant operators in Kelantan have been ordered to close between 8.30pm and 10pm throughout Ramadan, effective immediately.
The directive was issued by the Kelantan state government via the State Secretary’s Office to all local councils in a circular on Monday.
The circular, which was signed by state government deputy secretary (management) Datuk Adnan Hussin, said the closure was to “respect the holy month of Ramadan” and to encourage Muslims to attend terawih prayers at mosques and surau.
Pas central committee member Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz has since come out against the circular, saying he hoped the order would be withdrawn.
Wan Salim advised all Muslims in the state to take the opportunity to perform their prayers as much as possible during Ramadan.
He said the Mufti Department and the state Islamic Religious Affairs Department would leave it to the Muslims to perform their terawih prayers as they deemed fit.
“We leave it to them to decide whether they want to fulfil the eight rakaat with three witir or 20 rakaat with three witir,” he said, adding that many Muslims usually performed their prayers up to 20 rakaat with an additional three rakaat for witir during the holy month.
A rakaat consists of the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims while offering prayers, which also refer to a single unit of Islamic prayers.
Witir, meanwhile, refers to an extra prayer performed after the terawih prayer with three rakaat.