MOSQUES, SURAUS IN JOHOR ORDERED TO HOLD "ISTISQA" PRAYER

JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 1 (Bernama) -- Mosques and suraus throughout Johor have been instructed to hold the “istisqa” or prayer for rain for three consecutive days starting today until Monday (Feb 3), following prolonged dry weather and a series of fire incidents across the state.

State Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid said the directive was issued in compliance with the decree of the Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, as a spiritual effort to seek Allah SWT’s mercy for rainfall.

He said the istisqa’ prayer is to be performed after the Zohor prayer at all mosques and suraus statewide.

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“This effort is to pray to Allah SWT for rain to fall on Johor, so that water catchment areas can be replenished with clean and sufficient water supplies.

“It is also intended to meet the needs of the people of Johor and is hoped to help ease and extinguish the fires that have been reported in several locations across the state,” he said in a statement today.

Several open fire incidents have occurred recently, with the largest reported at Jalan Sungai Kapal, Taman Bayu Damai, Pengerang near Kota Tinggi, involving a peatland fire covering nearly 100 hectares.

Most recently, about 12 hectares (30 acres) of peatland forest at Batu 13 Bukit Naning, Muar, near the Johor State Farmers’ Organisation (PPNJ) farm, were reported to have burned yesterday.

According to statistics from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), the agency recorded 3,565 open fire cases nationwide last month, with six large-scale incidents occurring in Johor.

--BERNAMA