The Maavah Council Secretariat has decided to postpone indefinitely the funeral prayer in absentia that was initially planned for Friday for Ali Mushfiq Mohamed Shareef, who went missing at sea following a boat fire earlier last week.
The prayer, which was initially planned for Masjid al-Bilal in Maavah, was delayed following consultations with religious scholar, legal experts and based on a publication by the Fatwa Committee, the council said.
"Although Ali Mushfiq Mohamed Shareef's funeral prayer in absentia was previously announced for 11 April 2025, the recommendations of religious scholars, legal experts and the number the 466/2020/02's 20th fatwa published by Maldives' Supreme Council for Fatwa states that the death of a missing person must be declared by a judge based on information made available following efforts to find the missing person," the council's statement said.
The statement clarified that although Mushfiq's funeral prayers for Friday have been cancelled, it would be held at a later date once the court proceedings are completed.
Mushfiq went missing on Wednesday last week when the cargo boat he was travelling on caught fire with 18 people onboard.
Maavashu Council's president Ahmed Moosa told Mihaaru News earlier that the funeral prayers were arranged upon the request of Mushfiq's family.
"Mushfiq's younger brother knows he sank. Since he has not been found until now, the family believes 100 percent that Mushfiq would not be found alive," Ahmed said.
Despite the initial funeral prayer announcement, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) said that they did not conclude efforts to find the youth, who worked at Villa International High School and was seen as a role model to many in his island.
Mushfiq was also studying architecture at Maldives Polytechnic when he went missing.
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