In just over two weeks, Muslims worldwide will mark the beginning of a new Islamic Year. For our Shi’a communities, this is not a joyous time, but rather a time when we gather at our centres and express our grief and sorrow as we commemorate the Martyrdom of Imām al-Husayn (a).

This year, we will experience an additional grief because we cannot gather at our centres due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we cannot come together for majālis, as many centres remain closed. Without a doubt, not being able to attend the centre(s) will be difficult, but each and every one of us can make our homes a place of commemoration for our immediate families.

It is vital that we understand the seriousness of doing our part in containing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, especially as some of us may want to hold private majālis in our homes. There are complications in hosting a majālis that need to be considered and so we urge that you reconsider in-person gatherings and instead, hold online programs that family and friends can benefit from, from the safety of their homes.

The Office of Ayatollah Sistani and the Council of Shia Muslim Scholars of North America have issued guidelines for conducting Muharram 1442 programs.