The number of cases of death from COVID-19 is increasing at an alarming rate, affecting everyone irrespective of race, religion, and social class. With doctors, nurses, and other healthcare officers at the frontline tackling this on-going global pandemic, communities worldwide are ordered to remain in lockdown indefinitely until the situation gets better. Last week, Muslims worldwide began observing Ramadan, the Month of Blessings, at home amidst the commotion of the pandemic.
Ramadan is a much anticipated month for all Muslims. The month the Quran was revealed serves to Muslims as a time of unity within the community to observe fasting, prayer, and reflection. Many embark on spiritual journeys during this blessed period, enjoining each other for good and trying hard to closely respect the limitations set by Islam.
Growing up in a Muslim household, we were taught from a tender young age to observe fasting in Ramadan. Giving up food for our tiny bodies from dawn until dusk may have been harder for some than others, but we soon learned to love the traditional and religious practices that came hand-in-hand in this Month of Forgiveness. From the excitement of visiting different Ramadan Bazaars to buy food for iftar (breaking fast), the nightly trips to the mosque for congregation prayers, to attending special iftars set by the community that fosters togetherness and feeds the poor – the feeling of Muslim solidarity thrives during this Month of Mercy like no other.
However, the spirit of Ramadan this year is met with a rather unexpected situation – a pandemic, some panic, and an eventual lockdown.
In spite of willingly participating in the communal compromises made to curb the spread of this virus and flatten the curve, living through the Month of Charity in the confinement of one’s own home is seen as an additional tragic challenge for many. As many Muslims use Ramadan to motivate them to build a stronger spiritual connection, it becomes terribly difficult to foster the same kind of excitement in building one’s faith in this month when you subtract out mosque visits, congregational prayers, and religious talks and gatherings from the equation. In spite of one’s great desire to commit to pursuing these acts of worship, it is just logically bizarre for any sane person to do so whilst knowing the severity of this pandemic
Nonetheless, Muslims should take note that the practice of social distancing is actually a sound act of worship in itself during these trying times. An authentic Hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad) state:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “If you hear of a plague in a land, then do not go into it. If it happens in the land where you are, then do not go out of it.” (source).
From this we see the wisdom of advice encouraging us to take correct preventive measures and not only avoid a plague but also not spread it. The Hadith act to not only make us understand our role and responsibility during such circumstances but also remind us that wide-scale pandemics, plagues, and diseases are not at all something new. Hundreds and thousands of people having been affected by some sort of plague and pandemics in the past – all without the impressive technology, healthcare knowledge, and widespread media coverage we have today! Thus, we must ponder upon what a blessing it is to be facing such a calamity in today’s time and age.
Overall, the pandemic during this Month of Blessings should make us reflect on the daily pleasures we took for granted before the lockdown. From visiting friends, freely buying groceries, to physically going to work, these menial daily activities we once even dreaded are something we yearn and look forward to once the MCO is lifted.
Nonetheless, for now, we must feel assured that staying home and observing the government’s order is part of us playing our role and doing the right thing. Yes, for Muslims there will be changes from the usual way we view worship this month but don’t forget that staying home is an act of worship itself, and other prayers can be done just as well in the comfort of your home! So in fact, how lucky are we?
With that, chin up my fellow Muslims, Ramadan is not at all – as some may say it – canceled.
