Observing Ramadan in the coronavirus era.

Prayers and Quran recitations will move online for holy month

The hilal, or crescent moon, has been sighted in the night sky, ushering in the holy month of Ramadan.

For the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the Bay Area, this year’s observance — which runs through May 23 — will be much different than previous ones, coming as it does during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 92 mosques in five central Bay Area counties have been shuttered since March 12, even before public health orders required that congregational prayers no longer take place. And they will stay that way for the health and safety of the community, according to the Northern California Islamic Council.

Though acknowledging that “it’s a difficult moment,” Hatem Bazian, chairman of the NCIC, urged Muslims to meet their spiritual needs in safe, socially distanced ways.

“Worshipping the divine is contingent on you being alive to worship,” he said Thursday at a virtual news conference.

During Ramadan, a time for self-reflection and faith renewal, Muslims observe fasting and abstinence from sunrise to sunset. At nighttime, after prayer, a meal is shared, often with friends and relatives. The month culminates in what is normally a large community festival, Eid al-Fitr. Bazian said this year’s feast will be celebrated at home with the communal aspect taking place online.

To help the observant maintain sheltering in place, he said the council will introduce a month’s worth of virtual religious guidance, including daily recitations of the Quran and talks each night.

“There’s no gathering for breaking the fast, no gathering for prayers,” he said, until told otherwise by health and government officials.

Local Muslims say they will adjust to the new normal.

“It’s a month of solidarity, charity and meditation,” said Samir Bentaieb of Santa Clara. He has