We have arrived at the end of Ramadan, the holy month during which the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, sex and other worldly pursuits from sunrise to sunset. Ramadan is normally a time for daily self-reflection, and thirty nights of communal fast-breaking and prayers. Much of evening life takes place at the mosque, with all family members a part of masjid life, from preparing community iftars that begin with dates and yogurt laban, food that is sunnah keeping with the traditions suggested by the Prophet to break the fast, and seemingly never end. In a masjid in the US, for example, the iftar table is an elegant mix of international dishes that represent the people in that house of worship, a rich fusion of cultures, of traditional and new. After eating, the community prays nightly prayers together, taraweeh, prayed only during the holy month.
This year’s Ramadan promised to be different before it started, with social distancing measures in place throughout Islamic and secular communities and states. Mosques are closed indefinitely; there have been no social gatherings. People are at home.
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