The ongoing concern of COVID-19 has resulted in months of shutdowns and shelter-in-place orders, but for Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan continues.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and lasts from April 23-May 23 for 2020. It’s a month of prayer, fasting and a time to increase their faith and the principles of Islam.
Sumaya Muse, a fourth year biology major from Stone Mountain, Georgia, said her family celebrates Ramadan by coming together to break their fast where it’s tradition to have foods such as sambusas, dates and homemade drinks.
“Since there are a lot of siblings, everyone usually just comes and breaks fast at my mom’s place,” said Muse.
However, due to COVID-19, masjids, or mosques, around the world have closed. Muse said this is where most break their fasts if they don’t have food at home or if they ultimately choose to break their fast at the mosque. The biggest problem with the closures is that Muslims can’t pray their Taraweeh prayer which is a two-hour prayer after the fast is broken. It usually takes place from about 10 p.m. to no later than midnight.
Maryan Mohamoud, a fourth year biology major from Stone Mountain, Georgia, saw the upside of the situation.
“I’m not going to lie … It brought my family closer together because we’re usually all over the place and we don’t get to break our fast together,” said Mohamoud. “So now we get to have those moments together.”
Those moments don’t only consist of fasting from dawn to dusk. Muse said there are a lot of principles in fasting that come from practicing good behavior, reading the Quran and increasing in Islamic knowledge.
“I feel like most people just think that you don’t eat … it’s more of a remembrance of our purpose … doing good deeds and reevaluating yourself as a human,” said Muse.
Those good deeds come from charity work. At the conclusion of Ramadan, everyone is expected to give a certain amount of charity to the poor or their fast isn’t counted.
“We don’t usually pay attention to the fact that we have a place to live, we have food, we can drink water. When your necessities are taken away from you then you value them more,” said Muse. “This is something that I’m blessed with … and I should probably focus on giving to the less fortunate.”
At the end of Ramadan, Mohamoud said she usually learns how much she sucks at time management. “I learn that I should make better use of my time and especially make time for my loved ones even when Ramadan is over.”