The YouTube prayer channel started during Covid that’s causing a stir in the Christian community, after posting the video showing a Muslim man praying as the pandemic continues to ravage the world. The channel called upon people to pray for an end to the crisis, and encouraged followers to share the video.
The video has garnered over 5 million views since it was uploaded on April 22. Within the first few days, viewers began uploading prayers of their own, asking the same people to pray. Some of the prayers come from the Christian community, while others come from Muslim individuals.
Many of the prayers feature the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), though they vary in their composition. Some are just a quick, one line prayer, while others are lengthy, with the intention of “soul-satisfying impact” as explained on the group’s website.
As of Friday afternoon, the channel has over 30,900 subscribers and over 3.9 million views.
The channel’s founder, Tareq Rashid, was also instrumental in starting the Black Christian prayer website called “Our Faith for Our People,” which also has over 10,000 subscribers, but also has received criticism for its lack of sincerity in the face of the pandemic.
Tareq Rashid has admitted that they didn’t know what they were doing, when they started, and that they didn’t even post a disclaimer that it was for prayer purposes.
He says he was inspired to start the YouTube channel while his grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, and that he believed it would help anyone who wanted to pray in times of need.
Tareq has also noted that his followers are from a variety of backgrounds, which helps bring people together in their prayer requests. He said he did not intend to offend anyone, as he didn’t want what he was doing to be used as an excuse for people to ignore their God.
Tareq has also been praised by Muslims who praise his channel for encouraging them to pray. One Muslim expressed that they are