Muslim worshipers prepare for virtual Ramadan after coronavirus moves services online
Ramadan will be different this year for Muslims throughout the Sacramento region and around the world.
The holiest month in the Islamic calendar, which began Thursday, is celebrated by Muslims worldwide as a time of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. But public health orders regarding the coronavirus pandemic will prevent communal gatherings.
Worshippers fast during daylight hours, and mosques hold Taraweeh prayers every night. In years past, some Sacramento-area mosques have had more than 1,000 attend prayers, standing and bowing shoulder to shoulder.
Mohsan Baig, local public affairs director for the Sacramento chapter of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said religious and education services will be offered online instead.
“We normally would congregate at community centers and mosques to pray,” Baig said. “Unfortunately, since the outbreak of the pandemic and the guidelines issued by the CDC and the local and state guidelines, we are observing those and not congregating in places of worship.
“That means all those members who were connected to the community now feel a sense of distance. In order to overcome that, we do conferencing activities online so members can still connect with one another and still learn.”
Many of the nightly community feasts at large mosques have also been canceled. Masjid Annur Islamic Center in south Sacramento is working with the local charity Al-Misbaah to provide rice meat, and home essentials for families in need.
Bilal Hassan, president of the Ahmadiyya chapter, said his organization moved services online when Gov. Gavin Newsom issued stay-at-home orders March 20 to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“For the last month, our community gatherings have been severely impacted,” Hassan said. “In fact, I believe our last gathering was the Jumu’ah (Friday) prayer, which was the week before the governor’s directive, so we have not met in person. Our Jumu’ah prayers have stopped.”
Mohd Faizal Musa, a research fellow at the National University of Malaysia’s Institute of the Malay World and Civilization, recently told Al Jazeera these are unprecedented times for Muslim worshipers.
“I can’t remember anything like this happening before,” Musa told the television news network. “There was World War II or natural disasters, but from past literature, historical texts and various archives, I found that Muslims still gathered during Ramadan, despite war or disasters, and still observed their religious rituals together.”
Local imams at various centers are trying to care for the needs of the community online, holding daily religious talks and weekly programs.
“One of the foundations of Islamic jurisprudence is the preservation of life, and that takes precedence over congregational prayer,” Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Sacramento Valley told The Sacramento Bee last month.
Hassan said that sense of separation has been difficult, but members of Sacramento’s Muslim community understand the importance of flattening the curve.
“We do it very willingly because supporting the community is a big part of our mission,” he said. “We are part of the community and, as such, if others are suffering, we are suffering along with them. We don’t want to do anything that does not conform to the community and whatever the authorities are asking of us.”
Baig added a thought shared by followers of all faiths around the world: “We will pray this will come to an end fairly soon and things can return to normal again,” he said.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 12:17 PM.
