From Allah will save you to follow government’s guidelines: Maulana Saad does a flip-flop

New Delhi, Apr 02: After telling his followers that Allah will create peace if Muslims stayed back in Mosques, the missing Maulana Saad has now urged his followers to follow the guidelines issued to prevent COVID-19.

In the first audio message that he had posted on Markaz YouTube channel, he said, "if we stay in Mosques, Allah will create peace in the world. The Maulana who is the head of the Nizamuddin Markaz of the Tablighi Jamaat told his followers not to follow the government orders. Stay in the Mosque, and if you think you will die, then there is no better place to die, he also says.

I feel sad for those persons who say that at this time people should not go to Mosques and pray. This is in fact the time we should stay in the Mosques as Allah will create peace in the world, the Maulana also says.

However in a turn around now, the Maulana has in another audio clip appealed to the members of the Tablighi to follow the guidelines issued by the government. He also urges them to avoid large gathering and says that what is happening today is thanks to crimes by humanity. We should stay at home as that is the only way to calm God's anger.

Quarantine yourself and it is not against Islam or shariyat. He further says that he is self-isolating based on doctor's advise.

Meanwhile the Delhi Police has launched a man-hunt for him. He is accused of not heeding to the requests by the police to get people to clear the venue. The head of the Nizamuddin Markaz, Maulana Saad had refused to budge despite pleas by the Delhi police.

The Delhi police had urged the Maulana to vacate the Banglewali Masjid. The situation was critical and with the Maulana refusing to budge, the Union Home Ministry had to step in. National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval visited the markaz on March 29 at 2 am and convinced the Maulana to get the occupants tested.

Finally the markaz allowed 167 Tablighi workers to be hospitalised after the intervention of the NSA.

The first time the connection between the Tablighi Jamaat and coronavirus emerged was on March 17 2020. It was at this time that a case was detected in Telangana and by March 21, the Ministry of Home Affairs had drawn up a list of 800 foreigners associated with the Tablighi Jamaat.

It was learnt that an Indonesian, who attended the conference at Nizamuddin and travelled to Telangana had tested positive on March 17. Home Ministry sources tell OneIndia that nearly 1,000 Tablighi workers from abroad were in India. Of this around 200 were staying in Nizamuddin, the source also said.