Houstonians embrace a socially distanced Ramadan
Ramadan is about so much more than fasting.
On one hand, Sugar Land resident Ayub Hagi explained, it’s a whole month devoted to spiritual reflection, worship, reading the Quran and prayer. It’s all about connecting with God — and it sets the tone for the rest of the year.
“It’s like a spiritual bootcamp,” Hagi said.
On the other hand, the month is all about spending time with family and friends, joining each day with others to break the fast, or for iftar. It’s a time to reconnect with others, meet new members of the community and see old friends.
“Ramadan is very social,” Hagi said. “It’s like a 30-day Christmas.”
That perfect combination of time at the mosque, or masjid, and prayer and going to potlucks — breaking bread with others — is why Hagi looks forward to the month each year.
This Ramadan, however, he isn’t sure exactly what to expect.
“Praying as a community, shoulder to shoulder, that truly created a brotherhood,” Hagi said. “With social distancing, it’s not possible. COVID-19 is definitely taking an effect. It takes away the community we generally build.”
Still, the point of Ramadan remains: becoming more conscious of God and more aware of others. “Maybe it will train us to be even better humans, to be even more understanding of those who are less fortunate,” Hagi said. “It just won’t be in the way we envisioned.”
Instead of heading to the mosque, Hagi will be one of many Houston Muslims turning to Facebook Live and Zoom lectures during the holy month, which began April 23.
“We’re trying to stay positive — to look for alternatives,” he said.
Sugar Land resident Mariam Zakaria decorated her home to celebrate Ramadan — and helping friends with volunteer efforts.
“Usually, we’re out delivering food,” she said. “This year, we’re trying to find creative ways to continue volunteerism and giving.”
Zakaria misses preparing food before Ramadan, getting ready for the iftars. She might try an iftar on Zoom instead. Already, she has started studying the Quran and prayer online.
“Spirituality often blossoms in solitude,” she said. “We can grow from this and become even stronger in our faith.”
Still, Zakaria has faith that this Ramadan will become a time of even greater reflection without the normal distractions.
The same is true for imam Ahmad Shaheed at Masjid WD, Houston’s oldest Muslim community established under the Nation of Islam in the 1950s. As soon as recommendations restricting the size of gatherings were released,
Ramadan came to Shaheed’s mind.
“It was the first thing we thought about because Ramadan is so important to us,” Shaheed said.
Still, it was not the first time a public emergency stood in the way of his congregation coming together. In 2008, Hurricane Ike destroyed the mosque.
“We reopened 10 years ago,” Shaheed said. “I still remember the first Ramadan in the new building. That Ramadan epitomizes the experience. Everyone came out.”
He anticipates the same sense of joy and celebration will return when Ramadan can be held in the mosque again after COVID-19.
In the meantime, Shaheed said the congregation will host drive-through iftars, having the food catered and then distributed to members.
“We can’t pray together, but we’re still trying to reach people,” he said.
The congregation will also continue to worship online — and to host a Ramadan conference on Facebook, bringing guests online for lectures and discussions.
“It’s a real change for us, a departure from the norm,” Shaheed said. “We have to be innovative. We have to figure out ways to keep our community connected.”
Still, he added, not everyone has a computer, tablet or the ability to get online. He is working on a way for older members to call in for worship instead.
The month of Ramadan is also a time of increased charitable giving in the Muslim community. Masjid WD has created a disasterrelief fund for the coronavirus and already started distributing food to those in need.
“The COVID-19 virus shows that regardless of your status and situation, God is truly in control,” Shaheed said.
He added that Ramadan is an opportunity to get back to the basics, denying food and water during the day to focus on faith and family.
With the coronavirus, life has become even more pared down, Shaheed said. “Ramadan is about minimizing what you need,” he added.
He quoted the Quran, “With every difficulty comes ease,” saying the pandemic opens an opportunity to learn and grow. “We’re looking to find the blessing within it,” he said.
Imam Raed Alrosan at the Tajweed Institute agreed. “It is your opportunity,” he said. “How are you going to use the quarantine? If we focus on negativity, we will go nowhere. Regardless of religion, regardless of anything, we need to be together and be positive.”
Alrosan is using the extra time at home to strengthen his relationships with his family — and he encourages his congregation to do the same. For example, he has challenged all the husbands at his mosque to cook dinner — and to share a photo of the finished product. They also have to clean up afterward.
“I’m making spaghetti,” Alrosan said with a laugh. “These are things we didn’t do before. In every hardship, there is hope and something beautiful.”
He also asks children in his congregation to call him on the phone, and he quizzes them on the Quran. Already, he has started livestreaming his services on Facebook and plans to continue during Ramadan.
He has instructed his congregation to make their homes their mosque during Ramadan.
“My religious belief does not end because there is a pandemic,” Alrosan said. “During Ramadan, the main thing is to connect with Allah.”
For Richmond resident Timur Daudpota, this Ramadan will have fewer distractions, even though he will miss the time with his family and community.
“This whole pandemic has shut the world down,” he said. “With Ramadan, it allows us to step back and realize how beautiful humanity is, how beautiful everything is.”
Daudpota will spend this Ramadan at home. “Everyone is reconnecting with themselves; they’re putting in more effort,” he said. “What’s within you is God, and you can go to God.”