COVID-19: A Ramadan under lockdown?

In the Muslim world, Ramadan fasting is some few days away. Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an. So, for its entire period, Muslims at tending the evening gatherings called Tafsir will be affected. Tafsir is the exegesis or elucidation of the Qur’an by scholars of note, imams or Mufassirs. It is a practice most […]

In the Muslim world, Ramadan fasting is some few days away.

Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an. So, for its entire period, Muslims at tending the evening gatherings called Tafsir will be affected.

Tafsir is the exegesis or elucidation of the Qur’an by scholars of note, imams or Mufassirs. It is a practice most common in our communities in Ramadan. They take us through themes and subject matters in the Revealed Book of Islam. We are soaked in the depth of their intellectual and philosophical explanations of very esoteric matters of life in this Holy Scripture of Islam.

We pray Allah to bless the souls of Sheikh Abdullah Adam el-Ilory, Sheikh Mubarak Asile and Sheikh Mustapha Zulool all distinguished Islamic scholars who established equivalents of Centre for Islamic Sciences and Arabic Language Studies, referred to as Markaz in their lifetimes to raise generations of Muslim scholars.

But we won’t be able to gather at their feet if this season of social distancing endures till Ramadan. Now, our Tarawee prayers, the nightly voluntary congregational prayers after salaatul Isha will likely be killed since our masjids are under lockdown. If we cannot hold Juma’a congregation prayer under COVID-19, and we have been barred from daily prayers where congregation will exceed 50, then our Iitiqaaf, the usual retreat of the last days of Ramadan is also in jeopardy.

The Laitul Qadr, the Night of Majesty, the odd nights in the last 10 days of Ramadan will always remain majestic. It is documented that during the 10 odd numbered nights, Shaitan is chained, the gates of hellfire are locked and forgiveness is free as anybody who witnesses it is surely redeemed and blessed.

In these last 10 nights, we hardly sleep much as we spend them in the vigil of Tahajjud, invoking the blessing and mercy of Allah and seeking forgiveness. Despite the majesty of Lailatul Qadr, more glorious than 1,000 nights we may have to remain indoors rather than go to the large mosques to experience it.

The rich among us who spend Ramadan in Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj, Umra, especially in the last 10 days of Ramadan, will also be forced to remain in the country as the Saudi authorities have cancelled Umra this year in deference to the coronavirus pandemic.

If we are still under lockdown during the entire Ramadan – we pray this ends soon – our Eid el-Fitri will also suffer as we won’t have the luxury of trooping to the ‘Eid grounds to celebrate the praise of Allah amidst throngs of other Muslims at the end of Ramadan.

Despite what COVID-19 portends for us, however, we can still make the best of it. We can turn our sitting rooms to our masjid. We can recreate our Tafsir. A responsible and knowledgeable Muslim male should be able to gather the family together and feed them with gems from the Qur’an. That should substitute for the public Tafsir.

Such Muslim breadwinners should be able to lead the family in the nightly Tarawee or Tahajjud to substitute for the congregational ones because collective Tahajjud or Tarawee is even situational or circumstantial and not originally obligatory or compulsory.

So, Ramadan may be dour this year if there is no relief of the pandemic soon. But should this disturb our virtuous deeds, our charitable acts that are usually more effusive in the month of mercy? No. It only makes them more meritorious because they would not be very open as no public show is made of such acts in Ramadan under pandemic.

We pray to witness more Ramadan in life, pandemic or no pandemic. Ramadan Kareem as we count down in days and hours to Ramadan 1441 starting possibly on Friday 24, 2000 if the coronavirus pandemic lockdown persists.

Abdulwarees Solanke, Director, Media and Strategic Communication, for the Muslim Public Affairs Centre, MPAC Nigeria [email protected]