Uttar Pradesh Dargah opposes alcohol-based sanitizer, says 'mosque will become impure'

Bareilly: A Muslim cleric in Bareilly has issued an advisory that cleaning of mosques should not be done with an alcohol-based sanitizer.

Maulana Shahabuddin, the General Secretary of All India Tanzeem Ulama E Islam issued an advisory to all the mosques under its wing against the use of alcohol-based sanitizer for cleaning the holy place.

"The cleanness of the mosques hold great importance for us. Government has issued a guideline to sanitize the place. Sanitization means washing. With respect to the order we have issued advisory to ensure the cleanliness of the mosques using surf (detergents) and other means," said General Secretary of All India Tanzim Ulema E Islam.

"Cleaning of mosques should be done using products like detergents, shampoos, certain chemicals etc. as the use of alcohol (alcohol-based products like sanitiser) is forbidden in Islam," Shahabuddin said, adding that people who are coming to mosques should take all precautions for the prevention against coronavirus, he added.

"Alcohol is prohibited in Islam. Muslims should not use alcohol-based sanitizers. A mosque will become impure if alcohol-based sanitizer is used for cleaning the premises. We cannot make God`s home impure. Namaaz cannot be offered at an impure place. If the mosque is made impure knowingly, it will be a sin. I have appealed to Imams of mosques and mosques' committees to refrain from using alcohol-based sanitizer," Mufti Nashtar Farooqi of Sunni Markaz Darul Ifta, Dargah Aala Hazrat, said. 

This comes just a day after priests of some prominent temples in Mathura refused to use the sanitizer with alcohol content.