Two imams from the same mosque in Blackburn, Masjid-al-Momineen, in Lancashire, United Kingdom,  have passed away after having contracted coronavirus.

Under normal circumstances, hundreds of people from the local community would have attended the funeral of the Imams, Moulana Abdul Razzak Jalgaonkar and Moulana Abdul Majid Hodekar . However, mourners will not be able to pay their respects in the traditional manner due to social distancing and coronavirus lockdown guidelines.

Blackburn with Darwen councillor Mohammed Khan said, “This is very sad for the whole community as both men were well known and very well respected. I think this Covid-19 situation is going to impact many people, and the families of the imams are obviously devastated.”

He added, “I hope God will give them a higher place, and for other people, I hope they will take care of themselves during this crisis. I don’t know when this is all going to end, it seems a long way off yet, so please, take care of your families and your communities.”

Leaders from Masjid-al-Momineen had earlier this week asked the community to pray for both the elderly imams.

A message from the mosque read: “The imams of our local masjid, Masjid al-Momineen, are in need of our prayers during this difficult time. They have been inspiring us throughout the past years. The same way, it is our time to serve them, by remembering them in our prayers so that Allah can once again, bring them back into our community, to inspire us, and to once again enlighten our communities.”

The imams are not the first Muslim scholars in the UK to have passed away due to the pandemic. The UK has 133,495 COVID-19 cases, with the virus having killed 18,100 so far in the country.

Umm Muhammed Umar