We are grateful to be able to go through the holy month of Ramadan 1441 Hijri solemnly. In general, Ramadan this time took place in a quiet atmosphere.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
We are grateful to be able to go through the holy month of Ramadan 1441 Hijri solemnly. In general, Ramadan this time took place in a quiet atmosphere.
We know, all of this is because the COVID-19 epidemic is so horrifying, even though practically no one can see the infectious agent that has infected more than 5 million people and caused hundreds of thousands of people lose their lives. That is the aura of a coronavirus that is truly spine-chilling. People almost never think they have to go through the first half of 2020 with an outbreak that hit various elements in life. The enemy is invisible and — if this is a war — it cannot be overcome with any weapons system.
On the one hand, science, especially medicine and information technology, in the second decade of the 21st century has developed far more than when the Spanish flu epidemic broke out in 1918. When a hundred years later, the SARS-CoV-2 virus hit the respiratory system of the lungs fiercely, even many modern countries are shaken to deal with it. Cities in the world are paralyzed because of the physical and social restrictions enforcement. Along with that policy, the economy has receded, millions of people have lost their jobs and the number of poor people have jumped.
This epidemic still intensified when Muslims performed Ramadan fasting. The Ramadan tradition, which was marked with social closeness and was characterized by, among other traditions, the Tarawih evening prayer at the mosque and peaked with Idul Fitri morning prayers in the field, breaking-the-fasting dinners with loved ones were contradictorily marked by physical distancing.
All were accepted sincerely in the efforts to break the chain of COVID-19 transmissions, including another thing being widely discussed – the mudik (exodus) ban. For the sake of looking after each other\'s health and safety, especially parents and elders, people are also willing not to go on mudik, a tradition that is usually maintained desperately by fighting over bus tickets or by riding motorcycles.
Almighty God seems to want to give an unusual experience to His servants: to live the Idul Fitri in solitude and in simplicity. By staying at home, there will be a modest Idul Fitri celebration. Hospitality can certainly still be carried out with the help of information-communication technology through devices. Idul Fitri greetings and mutual forgiveness remain rewarding despite being delivered from a distance.
Returning to purity, presumably can even more be performed in a quiet atmosphere during epidemic. If the "old normal" was marked by a burst of breaking-the-fasting dinner together in lively and cheerful events, fasting in the "new normal" gives more time to tadarus (Quran reciting) and seeking for God’s forgiveness in the month of maghfirah (forgiving).
One more thing, despite the physical and social distancing, our soul should remain close to others’ so that our empathy for our brothers and sisters who lose their jobs because of the epidemic grows because we reflect enough in silence. Let us continue to share through alms, donations and charity from a distance. Happy Idul Fitri 1 Shawwal 1441 Hijri. Please, forgive outwardly and inwardly.