How COVID-19 Affected Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr for Muslims Across the World

 

There are more than 1.8 billion Muslim people around the world, they practice and celebrate their religious rituals every day of every month of the year.

Ramadan is one of these rituals that Muslims all over the world, it is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, where Muslims fast from dawn till dusk for 29 or 30 days every year.

Eid Al-Fitr is a celebration that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, where it is a chance to gather, visit family and friends, and have meals and sweets together.

But that was not the case for the last two years due to the corona virus and lockdown. So, how did the pandemic affect these occasions? But first what is Ramadan?

What Is Ramadan

Ramadan is the fourth pillar of the Five Pillars of Islam, which defines the basic grounds of Muslims’ lives. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar it starts with the crescent appearing at the beginning of the month, and ends with it reappearing on the same month.

Muslims all over the world fast from dawn till dusk, the amount of time people fast every day varies from one place to another. Ramadan lasts between 29 or 30 days depending on the crescent.

We, Muslims, stop eating, drinking, smoking, and all bad habits, like gossiping and jealousy, just before sunrise until the sunset of each day of the holy month. Ramadan is more of a spiritual act than the physical one, it is a chance to re-establish the relationship we have with Allah.

Ramadan is also a chance to evaluate the year we had before and to think of the year we will have ahead of us and how to make the most of it in every aspect of life, by acknowledging our mistakes and learning from them.

 Ramadan is not just about not eating nor drinking, it is about prayers, good deeds, and charity. It is also the month of The Holy Quran, reading and contemplating Quran is an essential part of Ramadan.

Breaking the fast is called “Iftar”, all family members gather for the “Iftar” where they start the meal with one date and some water, as it is a tradition that originated with Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

As for “Suhor”, it is the meal we have before dawn, in order to stay healthy and strong while worshiping and working during the day.

Leaving materialistic and important things like food and water on Ramadan, to focus on the spiritual and religious side of life is extremely rewarding. Many research had proved that Ramadan fasting has a great impact on physical and mental health.

Researchers had proved for a fact that fasting improves your immune system, increases your ability to fight off stress, helps your body get rid of the harmful microbes out of it, and so much more.

How Did Corona Virus Affected Ramadan

For the past two years (2020 and 2021), all celebrations and religious occasions were different than usual due to the corona virus pandemic, Ramadan included.

Ramadan was a chance for huge family gatherings, where families would prepare big meals for all its members including the extended members. We would have Iftar together, have some special Ramadan sweets, and just have a good time together as a family.

But because of the global pandemic and the social distancing restrictions, these kinds of traditions proved hard to do for the last couple of years, in order to be safe and also keep our loved ones safe.

Moreover, and due to the lockdown and curfew in most countries, we were not able to go outside and enjoy the overall Ramadan atmosphere, where the streets would, usually, be decorated with lights, luminous crescent and stars, and other Ramadan stuff.

Al-Tarawih prayers, is a special kind of Islamic prayer that is only performed in Ramadan after the Isha prayers (one of the five prayers Muslims pray every day). Usually, a big number of people perform Tarawih inside the mosques every day for the entire 29 or 30 nights of Ramadan.

However, since Ramadan of 2020 authorities had advised otherwise because of the pandemic effects. Therefore, we were not able to perform the prayer as it is supposed to be done.

Eid Al-Fitr Under the Coronavirus Restrictions

The end of the holy month of Ramadan is marked by a vast celebration, called Eid Al-Fitr. Where we, Muslims, intend to gather for a big feast to celebrate and thank Allah for the strength he gave us during Ramadan.

We also visit our family and friends and wish them happy Eid, exchange gifts, and have homemade Eid sweets. On the contrary, this was not the case for the past two years where, unfortunately, COVID-19 changed daily life drastically.

Also, due to the lockdown restaurants and entertainment places are closed most of the time, and the curfew is not helping the situation of us trying to have a normal Eid.

The situation above is not only about Ramadan or Eid Al-Fitr, but also about all celebrations and occasions for all religions around the globe. We all are praying and hoping for this pandemic to end soon.

Although the virus caused a lot of horrible stuff, it is a chance for all people to appreciate the things we used to do and think of them as something plain and easy, so we can cherish these things when we get them back.

 

Written by – Leen Alrababah

Edited by – Adrija Saha