PUTRAJAYA: After eight weeks, Masjid Mahmoodiah in Presint 18 here opened its doors to members of the congregation again yesterday.
The atmosphere was upbeat yet sombre, as members of the congregation were thankful they could return to the mosque, but also wished that others could join in the prayers soon.
One of the congregation members is the mosque's kariah member, Shaifullah Abd Gapar@Jaafar, 55.
"Alhamdulillah, after two months of being unable to come to the mosque, I finally get to perform the Friday prayers here today (yesterday).
"It was a happy moment, but at the same time, I am sad that some of my friends could not join the Friday prayers since only selected people were invited in view of the Covid-19 situation."
He said the atmosphere at the mosque, which could accommodate up to 1,200 people, was not as merry as before.
"We have to be patient, for everyone's safety. I pray that we can find a cure to the virus so that we can return our lives back to normal," he said.
Shaifullah was one of the few kariah members allowed to join the prayers yesterday, which was also attended by not more than 30 people, comprising the mosque's committee members.
He said the kariah members were asked to arrive at least one hour early before Friday prayers to help ensure that the mosque adhered to the Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) set by the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department.
Upon arrival, the kariah members underwent two temperature screenings, first at the gate before entering the compound of the mosque, and later at the entrance of the prayer hall.
The kariah members were required to present their identification cards to allow the committee members to verify that they had been selected for the session.
Only kariah members who did not display Covid-19 symptoms, as well as those who had taken their ablution at home and brought together their praying mats were allowed to enter the premises.
To ensure kariah members observed social distancing when they stood in "saf" (prayer rows) during the prayer, they were be seated according to the position of "rehal" (Quran rests) arranged inside the prayer hall.
All kariah members were also seen wearing face masks when they performed Friday prayers yesterday.
Environment Minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man read the Friday sermon and the prayers were lead by the imam, Muhammad Shabil Muhafiz Harun.
Other prominent figures who attended the Friday prayers at the mosque were Statistics Department chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin and Perbadanan Putrajaya president Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim
After the Friday prayers, sanitation works were carried out at the building, including the cafeteria next to the mosque.
Tuan Ibrahim, when met after the prayer, said he was satisfied with the enforcement of the SOP during yesterday's Friday prayers.
"I know that many Muslims can't wait to perform congregational prayers at the mosque," he said.
"It is important to note that no matter where we perform our prayers, Allah will grant us the blessings.
"As we are at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, let us pray that we can eliminate the virus and continue with our daily lives ,although we have to adapt to a new normal."
Muhammad Shabil said the selection of congregation members for the next prayer session would be made through balloting.
"A head of each community (residential blocks) will nominate two people each and the committee members will go through the selection to ensure that we follow the SOP," he said.
"This is to ensure that everyone will get the chance to perform congregational prayers at the mosque."
The sermon for yesterday's prayer, he said, was also shortened to minimise the time the kariah members spent inside the mosque.