Impact of Covid-19 on Ramadan

With the holy month of Ramadan knocking on the doors and in light of the restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the new Covid-19 virus pandemic, many people express their lack of family gathering at the Iftar table to breakfasting together, a ritual that characterizes this month, which many families have been deprived of due to the Covid-19 epidemic. So what is the impact of Covid-19 on Ramadan?

Certainly, Ramadan is different by all standards with Corona, but 2022 is not the first year in which we enjoy the taste of Ramadan with the precautionary and restrictive nature of all the rituals, celebrations, and socializations we are used to, which are the most prominent and beautiful in Ramadan, these rituals that distinguish it from other months throughout the year.

What are the possible alternatives to Ramadan table meetings in the shadow of Corona, to compensate for the fun and preserve the health of loved ones at the same time?

First, the exchange of foods and special meals between neighbors and friends:

It is possible to set a schedule that arranges the exchange of these meals between families, and instead of eating the various items that were usually prepared to be eaten on one table, the items are prepared and part of them is exchanged among the families, so that each family eats various items in its home.

However, it is important to maintain the most important preventive precautions, such as exchanging meals in single-use dishes, while wearing the means of protection for the delivery person, the most important of which are gloves and face masks, and the use of sterilization tools and fluids to avoid transmission of infection;

Second, replace the visits with the video call:

It is possible to eat meals in front of a video call on social media via a phone or laptop, and thus it is possible to have a similar experience to sitting at the same table and eating breakfast together in Ramadan while making sure to communicate during the meal with expatriates and those who live alone from relatives, or with seniors The age who miss this social atmosphere in particular.

Third, wear elegant clothes while eating breakfast:

This can contribute to the feeling of gathering at the Ramadan tables with family and friends and during visits during the month, especially if the dressing for the outside coincides with a video call with friends and loved ones during breakfast.

We cannot say that there are some differences between Ramadan in normal circumstances, i.e. the “past” and Ramadan in light of the Corona pandemic.

During Ramadan, people used to arrange banquets and rituals at home, but in the light of Corona, this has become unhealthy and unsuitable for the conditions we are going through. Social distancing in Ramadan, will prevent Muslims from holding feasts in their homes.

Muslims are keen to perform Tarawih prayers that are specific to the blessed month of Ramadan in large numbers in major mosques, which gives the month a distinct spiritual character that distinguishes the month of Ramadan from the rest of the months of the year. To prevent the epidemic from spreading worse than it already is, Muslims are now performing Tarawih prayers individually at home, and this is what happened in many countries, including Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Arab and Islamic countries.

What distinguished Ramadan was the presence of Rahman’s tables in the streets, these tables that guaranteed those who were unable to obtain a human breakfast that did not cost them anything, and which increased the bonding of members of society, and made them feel brotherhood, friendliness, and mercy among themselves, in the shadow of Corona the tables of Rahman disappeared because they Against the precautionary laws that impose distance between people, and reduce the chances of contact through things; To prevent the spread of the disease, but we say that society needs the tables of the Most Merciful more than any other time; It is no secret to anyone that the economic conditions the world is experiencing, and the increase in the number of the poor, have lost millions of their source of income, and the number of the poor has become huge.

Some mosques have also begun to open their doors to worshippers, but with a certain number of them in proportion to the rules of distance and caution against the spread of the virus, and everyone has to wear masks at prayer time, and use his personal tools for prayer.

Our religion calls us to take reasons, and not to expose ourselves and people to danger, as there is no good in praying in the mosque that results in harm to anyone who may lose his life due to the transmission of the virus to him, so we have to be patient and cooperate to confront this epidemic in order to return to the normal life that we love. And if circumstances require spending Ramadan at home this year as well, we have activities that we can use to reduce time and introduce