Covid19: Ramadan in Lockdown / Khadro Mohamed

Photo by Tayeb MEZAHDIA on Pexels.com

Sometime between the 23rd and the 26th of April 2020, some 1.6 billion Muslims will be observing the start of the most holy month of the year: Ramadan. The beginning of the month will be marked by the sighting of the crescent moon and will involve abstaining from consuming any form of food and drink. Muslims believe that it was during the month of Ramadan that the holy Quran was revealed to the Prophet (saw). Ramadan in Arabic comes from the root word “Ramad” which roughly translates to being “heated by the sun” in other words, this is the time of year that sins are purged, and forgiveness is in abundance.

It begins just before the sun breaks the sky with the meal of suhoor, and ends with the meal of iftar, consumed at sunset. Anything consumed between these two meals invalidates ones fast.

For many people outside of the Islamic faith, this is all that Ramadan may represent. A time that Muslims struggle with resisting tempting food and steering clear of food courts. However, Ramadan is a lot more than just hunger pains and caffeine withdrawals. In fact, fasting plays a much smaller role in the holy month than people may think.

Ramadan is a time for community involvement, a time for volunteering, a time of reflection and self-improvement. Ramadan is the ache in the back of your legs from standing in tarweeh all night, it’s the feeling of an empty stomach but a heart bursting with gratitude. Ramadan is late night rushes to the supermarket, it’s turning down the radio when your favourite song comes on and saying no to that piece of yummy sushi your co-worker offers you during lunch. Ramadan is spending nights with friends and family, Ramadan is a dry mouth from reciting the words of the Quran, it’s a house thick with the smell of oil and curry. But most importantly Ramadan is hope.

Ramadan is believing and trusting in your abilities. It’s the start of something new.

In Wellington, Ramadan is extra special. The Kilbirnie mosque is transformed into a community hub. Hosting hundreds of people for prayer every night, community iftar gatherings every weekend, youth work and volunteering activities throughout the week. It’s the only time of year where the doors are opened to hundreds of worshippers for 10 consecutive days.

It almost seems impossible to imagine a world where the level 4 lockdown rules and Ramadan can co-exist. Yet, here we are. Existing in a time where the Ramadan rituals we love so much are being limited. We’re being tested as a community. With masjid’s pretty much out of bounds and social distancing rules the new normal, this Ramadan will be like no other.

It will highlight how central masjids and community interactions are for our community, with almost 60,000 worshipers in New Zealand, staying connected is vital. This Ramadan might mean that our Quran reading groups will become audio recordings, it might mean that our beloved tarweeh prayers are done at home and it might mean that the iftar get togethers we once looked forward to are now done over skype.

Although this might seem hard to fathom, we can’t forget that Ramadan is also a month of sacrifice. We must sacrifice so much of what we take for granted in order to appreciate the little things in life. Perhaps in some ways this Ramadan will serve as a reminder of the importance of our diverse communities.

We must also remember that Ramadan is a month of hope. Hope that the sacrifices made this year will grant us a better Ramadan in the next, inshallah. We must hope that once Covid-19 clears that the lines in our prayer halls fill once again and hope that we all stay healthy and safe during these uncertain times. Qadar (fate) may be a hard thing to grapple with, but right now we must accept these circumstances as they are and work hard to make this Ramadan special in our own unique ways.

Salam and Kia Kaha.

Khadro Mohamed is a recent graduate from Victoria University of Wellington, having studied a 4 year biomedical science degree. Her passion for social justice and giving a voice to those who feel they don't have one has always been a huge passion of hers. She is also very active in the Wellington community and loves helping improve the lives of those around her. Although she currently works in IT and support, she has dreams to publish and write pieces that directly relate to her experiences for a wider audience of people across NZ.