THE year 2020 will be remembered as the year that changed everything.
More than half of the global population are experiencing a lockdown in one form or another due to Covid-19. Among the "new normal" includes people practising social distancing, avoiding crowds and ensuring personal hygiene.
Now that Ramadan has started, what would this so-called "new normal" mean for Muslims when celebrating the holy month? Many would regard Ramadan rituals as a form of madrasah or school to learn, unlearn and relearn certain habits.
We have been going through Ramadan throughout our lives with more or less the same "syllabus". Now with Covid-19, we are presented with a new syllabus for the holy month. Some core practices remain the same in Ramadan, one of which is fasting. Now, however, we have no choice but to adjust accordingly. Tarawih prayers can still be done in a congregation, but it should only be performed at home with family members.
This is an opportunity for the family head to learn to be the imam of the prayer. While tarawih is akin to many optional prayers in Islam, it is something that needs familiarisation for many. The head of the household should step up to take the lead. This will be a learning process for many.
In the past, Ramadan bazaars have become a source of income for many people while being a food haven for those looking for iftar (breaking of fast) dishes. This year, there are no Ramadan bazaars in the physical sense. So, we have to unlearn the habit of frequenting such bazaars and relearn a new skill, either buying dishes for iftar via online and have them delivered to our homes or simply cook the dishes ourselves.
Either way, what is equally important is for us to learn to avoid food wastage. Buy or cook only what is needed for consumption. Any form of wastage, what more food wastage, is much abhorred in Islam.
Ramadan is also known as the month of the Quran. In previous years, people would carry out tadarus (reciting the Quran) with other members of the congregation usually at a mosque or surau. With the pandemic, does it mean that we cannot perform tadarus?
Most definitely, tadarus can continue. As with the tarawih prayer, we can continue to perform tadarus with our family members and, for many, this will be a new skill that needs to be learned. On top of this, technology can also be a useful aid for conducting online tadarus. This is something that can be learned if we want to carry out online tadarus with members of our congregation by using software and applications normally used for online meetings.
People look forward to Ramadan because it presents them with the opportunity to carry out acts of worship during the last part of the night, known as qiamullail. Some perform these at a mosque. We can adjust accordingly by performing qiamullail at home. Again, this adjustment requires a learning and relearning process.
Charity is also synonymous with Ramadan. We can contribute to Ramadan baskets, which are used to help the needy and frontliners. We can channel funds to charitable non-goverernmental organisations. Or, we can share our iftar dishes with our neighbours. Charity does not stop with Covid-19.
Neither should Covid-19 truly affect Ramadan. What is needed is just adjustments on the part of believers. As mentioned, Ramadan is a madrasah where we can become better Muslims at the end of the holy month. The adjustments that we make in Ramadan is a learning process that can increase our piety to Allah.
In truth, the spirit of the holy month is not diminished under the pressure of the pandemic. On the contrary, the pandemic has presented Muslims with a greater opportunity to further showcase the true beauty of the spirit of Ramadan, and to come out as better Muslims.
The writer is Director, Centre for Science and Environment Studies, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM)