The lockdown edition of Ramadan 2020 in Islamic year of 1441 Hijri offers unique challenges and opportunities. For the first time perhaps, Ramadan in the midst of COVID-19, has a potential of fulfilling many obligations for the faithful – roza [fasting], namaz [praying], Zakat [charity] and jihad [struggle or quest] within a month.
While other concepts are easily understood, jihad needs explanation and emphasis. For a majority of Indian Muslims and clergy, jihad in letter and spirit is a spiritual struggle within oneself against sin, will, circumstances etc. where the fight against adversity may not necessarily be physical. The literal meaning of the Arabic word jihad, is “striving for a worthy and enabling cause” and not the internet-social media induced sense of a ‘holy war’ against non-Muslims.
Centuries long traditions have it that Ramadan is a time for worship, comradeship and relationship. However, if social distancing and lockdown are taken as will of God to save and protect against a Coronavirus spread, avoiding guests at breaking of fast [iftar], community prayers [tarahwih] and Sahri [beginning of the day-long fast] would merit a sense of sacrifice towards the will of God.
A Collective Religious Response to an Unprecedented Ramadan
However, enforcing a sense of discipline among 170 million Muslims [sharply divided on sectarian, linguistic, socio-economic conditions] spread across the country is not an easy task. Several academic studies have shown that in order to bring about any form of social change, it is imperative to recognise the presence of religious organisations and enter into working partnerships with them. Unfortunately, due to post-2014 political divide, polarization, anti CAA stir etc., the task of government and a rather tardy bureaucracy in winning hearts and minds has become tougher.
On his part, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi held several rounds of meetings with Muslim clergy, intellectuals, community leaders and officials of various state waqf boards via video conferencing to work out Ramadan guidelines. There are over 7,00,000 mosques and Islamic religious and social institutions which fall under state waqf boards and receive financial assistance.
On their own accord, many Muslim scholars and clergy in India issued appeals that gestures such as avoiding crowds during iftar and prayers would be equivalent to life-after reward for jihad. In fact, for the first time in recent memory, religious heads of all Muslim sects such as Deobandi, Barelvi, Shias, Ahle Hadith, Bohras and seminaries like Darul Uloom Deoband, Nadwa, Ala Hazrat Academy, and organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Majlis Ahle Hadith sank their ideological differences to issue common appeals and fatwas to minimise physical contact.
For instance, just like many other communities in India, shaking hands or hugging is a preferred form of greeting. Muslims were advised to go back to the Ottoman-era practice of placing a hand over the heart to exhibit affection and warmth.
From Ritual to Relief: Redirecting Faith Towards Humanitarian Action
As per some estimates, Indian Muslims offer Zakat, or charity, to the tune of Rs 50,000 crores during Ramadan. Zakat is calculated as 2.5% of a person’s annual savings. While Zakat can be given in cash or kind at any time of the year, most contributions are made during Ramadan because many Muslims believe that the spiritual rewards of good deeds in this month are far greater. If some iftar party expenses are redirected towards sadaqah, or voluntary charity, the amount available for the needy and underprivileged could easily reach around Rs 1,00,000 crores. For millions facing starvation and deprivation in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, this amount, if distributed judiciously, had the potential to save countless lives. For iftar too, Muslims could approach NGOs and agencies distributing food packets instead of organising traditional iftar parties and banquets.
For recitation and listening to the Quran during Tarawih, the Muslim community had multiple options through smartphones, television, radio and the internet. Several mobile applications offered translations as well as live and recorded Quran recitations from Makkah, Madina and other prominent centres.
The Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh of Saudi Arabia, who enjoys high religious authority among Sunni Muslims, went a step further by saying that even the Eid-ul-Fitr feast should take place at home if the situation did not improve. Yet the hope remained that by the last week of May 2020, the situation across India would allow neighbours of every Muslim household to once again receive a bowl of sheer, sewaiyan or sher-khurma in the true spirit of Eid.
This piece was first published at the orfonline.org.
