This archive report was first published on 15 May 2020.
The holy month of Ramadhan entered its final crucial ten days on Thursday, a period when Muslims believe the Night of Power conceals the date when the holy Koran was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad in 609 AD.
According to Islamic tradition, the Night of Power, also known as Laylat al-Qadr, is considered the holiest day on the Muslim calendar.
However, the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has cast a subdued mood among Muslims around the world as they prepare to enter the final 10 days of Ramadhan.
As the holy month enters its final phase, mosques across the coastal city of Mombasa are set to be bereft of believers who usually stay inside the prayer halls for the last days.
Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa, Organising Secretary of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK), has asked Muslims to pray at home as the authorities step up measures to fight the spread of the novel virus in the country.
Sheikh Khalifa said, 'And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months,' as stated in the Koran (97:2-3).
Ordinarily, Muslim faithful stream to the mosques at night in the last crucial ten days to devote themselves to special deeds and say special Ramadhan nightly prayer 'Tahajjud.'
However, due to the ban on gatherings in places of worship, mosques will be silent and empty, with only the imam and the muezzin offering the prayers inside.
