Ramadan 2020 Under the Shadow of Clovid 19
Fasting sans Feasting and Festivity
Fasting sans Feasting and Festivity
The Clovid 19 pandemic is a great scourge on us and indeed on all the mankind. But just as WW2, another global disaster had some blessings for mankind, the Clovid 19 has probably done us, the Muslims some good service! It has compelled us to practice the holy month of Ramadan according to the dictates of the Holy Text and the Holy Prophet: to concentrate more on fasting and less on feasting. How?
Right or wrong, the Congregational Taraweeh prayers has assumed the primary and principal place in the ibaadah during this month for most Muslims. ( I was shocked to hear, there is a shariah opinion that fasting is incomplete without praying Taraweeh!) A lot of favorite activities and fun revolve round it. The notorious virus has denied us all this pleasure of praying and compelled us to the confines of our homes with our close family instead of the Masjid with its environment of radiance and rapture. But cheer up. With this change in venue, we will be following in the footsteps of our beloved Holy Prophet; an intense desire of every Muslim. Let me explain.
The notorious virus has cast real dark shadows on our activities in Ramadan and specially on our mosques. An article in New York Times dated April 25, 2020 “A Ramadan Like No Other: Images From Around the World” ( https://nyti.ms/3azQvzP ) has elaborated this point with its beautiful and graphical photographs from the world over. The image above is one of them, depicting the grand mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina leading the Friday sermon at the empty Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque.
As I was growing up in Mumbai, India, I was constantly bombarded by the advice to take to the mosque for prayers. What about praying at home? “Oh that!” was the reply and added with a wry face, “that will fulfill your obligation to offer the fard but NO MORE.” Fazilat or piety gushes forth only in the masjid. Partly true, any way. But it is also true that sunnah and nawaafil prayers should be offered at home in preference to masjid. We will discuss hereunder this statement is based on many ahaadith. But not once in my life did I hear this directive to pray nafl at home from any mullah, maulvi, imam or aalim or at any discourse. Obviously, because of conflict of interest. Masjid is the domain and arena of the Ulemaa. It is here that they rule and control. Five times a day, once every Friday and twice a year on Eids the faithful flock and herd dutifully to houses of God. This is the delight and strength of the Ulema. No wonder the stress on the masjid for fard namaz but complete silence on the house for sunnah and nawaafil.
Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid is a Syrian scholar and is considered a respected intellectual in the Salafi movement. He has founded the website Islam QA.info which is one of the most popular websites and is according to Alexa.com the world’s most popular website on the topic of Islam generally. The issues are discussed rationally, supported by ahaadith with the reference numbers. I take advantage of this website profusely.
The article “Is it better to offer nawaafil prayers at home or in the mosque? Please quote the evidence (daleel)” https://islamqa.info/en/answers/22209/it-is-better-to-offer-naafil-prayers-at-home — divulges numerous ahaadith to establish that nawaafil prayers, as a preference should be offered in the house. For brevity I am quoting here just one of them:
“It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Shaqeeq said: I asked ‘Aa’ishah about the voluntary prayers of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). She said: He used to pray four rak’ahs before Zuhr in my house, then he would go out and lead the people in prayer, then he would come in and pray two rak’ahs. And he used to lead the people in Maghrib prayer, then he would come in and pray two rak’ahs. And he would lead the people in praying ‘Isha’, then he would come into my house and pray two rak’ahs. And he would pray nine rak’ahs of night prayer (qiyaam al-layl), including Witr. He would pray long prayers at night standing and long prayers at night sitting. If he recited Qur’aan standing, he would bow and prostrate from a standing position and if he recited Qur’aan whilst sitting he would bow and prostrate from a sitting position. Wand when dawn came he would pray two rak’ahs.”
Narrated by Muslim. 730
What is Taraweeh? Is it a Fard, wajib, sunnate mo’kadaa, sunnate ghair mo’kadaa, nafl or mustahib. Our religion is very simple. Generally, the ibadah are only of two types: Fard: mandatory/obligatory and Nafl: supererogatory/optional. The former calls for retribution; it is a huge sin if left out; the latter does not; but is endowed with great blessings if performed. If the Holy Prophet has offered a nafl, it naturally becomes a sunnah for us. If he performed it diligently and regularly, its importance for us is enhanced. Therefore our jurists have labelled it as sunnate mo’kadaa. If he was casual about some nawaafil, these were labelled by them as sunnate ghair mo’kadaa. By this definition Taraweeh is a nafl prayer and a sunnate mo’kadaa because our beloved Holy Prophet performed it routinely and consistently.
Shaykh Muhammad Saalih Munajjid and his students in response to a question “What is the ruling on a person who does not pray Taraaweeh at all during the month of Ramadaan with no valid excuse? Is there any sin on him because of that?” have stated: “If a Muslim does not pray Taraaweeh, there is no sin on him for that, whether he has an excuse or not, because it is not obligatory. Rather it is a confirmed Sunnah which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did regularly and encouraged the Muslims to do as he said: “Whoever prays qiyaam in Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” ( al Bukhaari, 37; Muslim, 760). Further they added “But the Muslim should not neglect Taraaweeh prayer. If he cannot pray it with the imam in the mosque, then he should pray it at home. If he cannot pray eleven rak’ahs then he should pray as much as he can, even if it is only two rak’ahs, then he should pray Witr.”