Imam continues to lead prayer as huge earthquake rocks Bali mosque

An imam continued to pray and lead worshippers while a huge earthquake tore through the mosque in the Indonesian resort of Bali, eliciting praises from every corner of the internet as the video of the incident went viral on social media.

The footage of the prayer led by Imam Arafat at the Musholla As-Syuhada Mosque was being broadcast live on Facebook on Sunday night when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the neighboring Lombok Island.

It showed several worshippers rushing to leave the mosque when the earth began shaking violently, but the imam continued praying as others in the congregation lined up behind him.

As the tremors became stronger, the imam held on to a wall and continued to pray, his voice reflecting his anxiety and fear.

Although many praised the imam for his courage and steadfastness, others criticized him for opting to remain in the mosque and endangering the worshippers' lives. The footage shows a 20-second period between the initial and low-intensity shocks and stronger ones later on, which would be of vital importance for the worshippers if the building was to collapse.

The earthquake killed more than 100 people in Lombok and injured hundreds of others, leaving thousands of locals homeless and tourists stranded.

Dozens were believed to be buried beneath the ruins of the Jabal Nur Mosque in the village Lading-Lading.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.