السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Dear Hampshire Mosque Community,
Based on new health and state guidance, the board of Hampshire Mosque is pleased to announce the following changes in COVID-19 restrictions:
Face Masks: Hampshire Mosque policy will align with CDC & Massachusetts guidance. Therefore, masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated individuals. However, non-vaccinated individuals are REQUIRED to continue wearing face masks and to continue distancing.
Social Distancing: Because many of our community members are still not vaccinated for COVID-19, so we will keep 3-feet distancing for all prayers at the masjid. Please be mindful of this spacing between yourselves.
Prayer Rug: Please continue to bring your personal prayer rug with you, to limit the risk of any virus spread.
Wudu: Please continue to make wudu/ ablutions at home.
Announcement as of March 13, 2020
(9:51) Say: “Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Maula (Lord, Helper, and Protector).” And in Allah let the believers put their trust.
Al-Bukhari (5739) and Muslim (2219) narrated from ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “If you hear that it (the plague) is in a land, do not go there, and if it breaks out in a land where you are, do not leave, fleeing from it.”
Alhamdulillah, we have heard two very spiritually comforting uplifting and meaningful Khutbahs with sound advice from the Quran and Sunnah at our Jummua since the occurrence of this global situation. Please stay alert and responsive to the fast-changing status in your area.
Given the growing concerns and in our humble efforts to limit the spread and protect the community, all events and activities at HM have been canceled until further notice effective immediately, at least till the end of this month and then re-assessed.
HM has been forced to cancel Jummua until further notice and/or until we are able to re-assess the situation.
This is consistent with guidance from ISNA, AMJA, and the actions taken by other Masjids and Islamic Centers across the US and World.
As a reminder, it is not Fard to pray at the Masjid given the circumstances.
Some guidelines to follow as a precaution:
- Stay at home if you are having symptoms of cold, cough, headache, fever, shortness of breath, conjunctivitis. Contact your primary care doctor for further advice while avoiding to come to the masjid until you are cleared by your health care provider
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Since hand sanitizers are all sold out, please make sure you do wudu/wash hands ASAP upon arrival at the masjid
- Avoid handshakes, hugs, or close physical contact to prevent the spread of the virus. (A smile should suffice)
- If you need to cough or sneeze, please do so in a tissue or your elbow to avoid any spread of droplets. (please dispose of in the trash cans)
- All elderly who are not well are requested to stay home and avoid large crowds and gatherings as they are at high risk of getting infected and sick with a poor chance of recovery
- Anyone who has traveled out of the country recently, please avoid coming to the masjid
- Consider bringing your own prayer mats
· NOTE: Please use self-assessment if you are showing any symptoms and avoid coming to the masjid to ensure the safety of others. The management of HM might request you to leave if needed. In shaa Allah this will not be necessary.
We are postponing the Open Mosque Day event which was scheduled for March 29th. There are several other events planned for in April which we are assessing and may postpone as the situation progresses. Stay tuned for further updates.
A beautiful lecture to reflect and implement now and always, by Imam Omar Suleiman, and duas to protect you and your family
Please visit the following trustworthy websites to keep yourself updated:
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- CDC Corona virus symptoms
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH)
- Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA)
- Safety Standards and Checklist: Places of Worship
From Br. Haneef who works at the Umass Environmental Health & Safety:
- If any UMass students have a question about the COVID-19 they need to go UMass Amherst Corona Virus Page
- International students can contact the International Programs Office they also have a link on their website.
- Community resource: Amherst Survival Center
We will follow the City of Hadley and the State of Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) guidelines closely and will continue to keep you updated with further developments.
May Allah protect all of His Creation from any kind of illness, injury, and harm.
Jazakam Allah Khairan,
HM Board
March 13, 2020
Statement of Justice and Solidarity with the Black American Community
Friday sermons at mosques around the state of Massachusetts addressed the recent horrific murder of George Floyd and expressed our Muslim communities condemnation and horror at such a crime. We would like to take this time to further express our solidarity with the entire Black American community and affirm the following:
- We of the American Muslim community of the Pioneer Valley in western, Massachusetts, recognize and affirm that it is our moral and religious obligation to reject and speak out against the brutal killing of our brother George Floyd, and against all forms of police abuse and violence. Our deepest sympathies and condolences are extended to Mr. Floyd’s family and we demand that justice be done to the perpetrators of this crime.
- We continue to be deeply angered and devastated by the continued acts of injustice, racism, and violence towards the Black American community.
- We further acknowledge the pain and harm of those in our own community who experience such violations by law enforcement on a routine basis and call for immediate reform in methods related to policing, criminal justice, profiling, and targeting of members of our community.
- We call on our elected representatives of all party affiliations and law enforcement officials of all communal levels to uphold justice, fairness, human decency, and to hold those responsible for crimes against community members accountable.
- We strongly urge all citizens to reach out to your local officials to demand for justice for George Floyd, his family, and for all others who have been victimized by police brutality.
- We ourselves affirm that we too are bound by the same standard of justice and equity that we expect others to abide by. The American Muslim community holds justice as a virtue. We are guided by the following scriptural injunction:
“You who believe, uphold justice and bear witness to God, even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or your close relatives, whether the person is rich or poor…” (Quran 4:135)
“You who believe, be steadfast in your devotion to God and bear witness impartially; do not let hatred of others lead you away from justice, but adhere to justice, for that is closer to awareness of God.” (Quran 5:8)
May Our Lord protect our society and communities and bless our country with His peaceful grace. May God make us strong allies of justice and truth, good leaders and advocates for righteousness and fairness, reliable partners in building peaceful communities, and pioneering trailblazers in upholding virtue.
Hampshire Mosque