IMPACT OF COVID ON RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS

Religious Festivities & Covid-19

With the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019 the word festivity has literally lost it’s meaning, with its start it took away all international festivities be it Christmas, Chinese new year, Christian new year etc  with deaths, fear and finally lock down. From January 2020 onward it started spreading all over the World slowly but surely and thus casting it’s dark shadows on not only normal life style of the world population but on the religious festivity of entire world without differentiating between any religion or region you belongs to.

This year month of April is one of the busiest months of 2020 for the world’s religions, with major festivals celebrated by Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. But with lock downs enforced across much of World to stop the spread of COVID-19, making it very difficult for the followers of all the religions to celebrated their religious rites in an age of social distancing.

In April most of the world’s major religions have festivals involving large gatherings of people. Easter was on 12 April (a week later for Eastern Orthodox churches); Passover begins on 8 April; Rama Navami, an important Hindu festival, was on 2 April; while the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi was a few days later on 13. The Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins around 24 April.

Pandemic corona virus has changed the way many of us go about our daily lives – including how religious festivals are celebrated. Ramadan, one of the most significant religious periods for Muslims started in the last week of April in every Muslim country and is going to last for a month. Eid ul Fitar is the festival that Muslims celebrates at the end of Ramadan, usually sees families and large gatherings come together to celebrate the end of the holy month of fasting and to thank Allah (GOD) for blessing and forgiving them by blessing them the holy month of Ramadan and for giving strength to them to be pious during this holy month.

Beside Eid all other religious events are typically, religious festivals are communal events and families gather to eat, pray and worship together. However, all these celebrations totally looked different this year. As strict lock down measures had been put into place in light of the corona virus pandemic, many communities were concerned about how it will affect their festivities. As Places of worship were closed and gatherings of large groups of people were banned. Thus no communal prayers are permitted until lock down measures are lifted.

With corona virus people while staying indoors for past few weeks has realized  the importance of the close ties that we often take for granted, while time spent in lock down has also provided people the opportunity to catch up with loved ones. It is a time to offer a hand to those who need the help while being grateful to Allah (God) for all that we have and cherish.

Till now so many religious activities were affected by Covid-19. The evening of 8 April is the beginning of Passover, one of the most important religious festivals of the Jewish calendar.

Jewish families and their friends would usually gather together to eat a special meal called a Seder, read religious texts, sing and tell stories. It's a time when Jews remember how Moses led their ancestors out of slavery in Egypt. But with social distancing measures in countries around the world this year Jewish people were not able to invite others to join them for the Seder meal.

On lent , Easter and in Ramadan also same was faced by Christians and Muslims across the globe. However as it’s everywhere and in every religion that some US churches and pastors are ignoring 'stay at home' orders, but for those who are isolating, how can they keep that sense of community at the heart of religious celebrations alive? Surely "It's a bit of a challenge but I think it's also a nice way for us to get closer to God in our own respective homes, even involving the children as well in reading the Bible."

It’s an observed fact that during Ramadan, mosque attendances usually peak, with people crammed against one another. Friday prayers have already been suspended across most of the Muslim world as a protection against this virus. Saudi Arabia has banned overseas visitors since the end of February, meaning those wishing to undertake pilgrimage to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina especially during the month of Ramadan are unable to do so. About 12 million people usually visit Mecca each year, mostly for the hajj, which this year begins on 28 July. However, thousands wishing to perform umrah, a pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time of year, have been affected by the ban.

This year the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan has started on 24 April. It is a time to remember the month that the Muslim holy book the Qur'an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. During this month Muslims abstain from food and water during daylight hours as a way of devoting themselves to their faith and getting closer to Allah. With the sunset in the evening, families and friends get together for the ifftar meal to break the fast. Many people go to the mosque to pray. However this year no such ifftar are seen but interestingly Zoom-based ifftar meals will continue throughout Ramadan, with a live call to prayer every day.

Till the time I am writing this blog religious festivity of followers of each and every religion was effected one way or the other by this virus. But I think that this virus has taught some lessons to the followers of all the religions all over the world and some of them are:

1.    None but Allah (God) is stronger; no matter you belong to a super or a doper power.

2.    Religious activity can be carried out at home too and you don’t have to go to worship places to be religious or to carry out your religious duties.

3.     Being restricted from carrying out your religious rites one learn to respect other religions too and should not bar any from practicing their religion.

4.    Best festivity is with your loved ones and by surrendering to Allah (Lord).

5.    One must have learnt that they can celebrate in simplicity and can share money which they normally spend on their festivity with others who are not that well off.

Thus in the last I won’t say that this virus is a blessing in disguise but I surely believe that its an eye opener for each one of us that we should adhere to the instruction of the creator of this world and should never try to exceed in our way of passing life beyond HIS commands. It also taught us to be kind with each other, value mankind and try to life a simple life and must isolate our self from getting over indulge in materialistic race and all this technological gadgetry as each one of us by now must have realized that nothing but Allah (God) alone will save us from any such pandemic or future disaster.

By: ovais asad khan

POSITIVE SIDE OF COVID-19

21 lessons learnt from covid-19

People keep saying it: everything has changed.

As the number of people affected by corona virus is increasing the world over, its impact on the world economy appears to be devastating. The new decade started out as any other but rapidly unfolded into a scenario that the world will remember for decades to come. As the days spent in our homes blur together and become indistinguishable, outside in the world huge shifts in consciousness are happening.

Amongst other negative things rapid global spread of a novel corona virus has taught us many positive things too that we are all interconnected in terms of our health and well-being. Displaced populations, including refugees and migrants, are often the first to be stigmatized and unjustly blamed for the spread of disease, yet they are also among the most vulnerable people during a pandemic—to both the virus itself and the measures enacted to control it. Substantial disruptions to humanitarian operations have already been reported from the field, thus compromising access to health and other essential services, and the ability to respond to urgent community needs. In the words of one humanitarian worker: “COVID-19 is making the already vulnerable exponentially more vulnerable, and it hasn’t even hit yet.”

In the last one quarter, life has drastically changed around the world. The corona virus outbreak is not just an epidemic, it’s also a global pandemic. People everywhere are being asked to stay home and stay away from others in order to reduce the risk of infection. Corona has brought with it a wave of negative outcomes, terrible illness and death, but it also highlighted some important life lessons.

1. Forego some of your freedom for the greater good of the public

2: Maintaining essential health services is vital.

3: We all have a role to play

4: Access to infection prevention and control measures, testing and treatment for displaced populations is essential to ensure safety for all

5: Whether there’s a virus or not keep washing your hands. 

6: Option of working from home should be now be given more importance.

7: Pandemic control relies on community engagement and trust.

8: Unite behind the science and support each other in human protective sciences.

9: Precaution is better than cure, so taking that sick day could save lives.

10: Doctors and researchers need to be paid better.

11: Keep learning for a better tomorrow & technology should be everyone’s right.

12: Protect the most vulnerable

13: The importance of talking to friends every day

14: Spending time with family again gain its importance, Compassion should come first.

15: Do IT Yourself (DIY) started gaining popularity & reliance on others started decreasing.

16: Everyone should know how to cook, as you never knew when you will be required to.

17: Prioritize your health and well-being., schedule exercise, fitness and walk in your daily routine.

18: Time to become nature’s friend & learn to appreciate nature.

19: Be kind to yourself first as its best time to learn how to be content alone.

20: Hope and keep learning for a better tomorrow

21: Last but not the least builds your faith in god (Allah).

Ultimately, these lessons give us hope. We’re inspired by the actions everyday people are taking to prevent the spread of disease and protect humanity, and we each can do so much more. When we work together, we can root change. 99% of the humanity who will survive this pandemic , this will not be the end. For them, the post-Covid-19 world will bring lasting changes that would have been considered impossible earlier. The virus and state-imposed lockdowns have wrought changes that are not just temporary. They will change the world as we have known it most of our lives. We need to learn from the lessons already arising from the disease and shutdowns, and adopt changes that will take us to a better and consider this Pandemic not as a curse but a blessing in disguise.

As the peak of Covid-19 started dipping in most of the countries of the world, although the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over, countries around the world are beginning to consider steps to ease their lock down restrictions. With a return to some form of normality in sight, now may be the best time to look at the lessons we had learned from this crisis and should try to implement them fully in our lives.

Another important thing to mention here is that the post-Covid economy will render several jobs redundant. But it will also create many new. It would create huge demand for online training courses on how to use online portals to provide the best services to clients, whether these are religious or medical or education-related services. Covid has taught us the virtues of virtual space. Let's adopt them to reduce pollution and guard against the next pandemic.

Covid-19 has exposed our political leaders on grand stages, highlighting their aptitude, vulnerabilities, and ineptitudes - not to mention idiocy - on many levels.  We can’t simply blame foreign powers or the virus for our miseries. Our rulers don’t even think about the diseases people suffer from, neither do they do anything substantial to prevent them. We don’t have medicines, neither do we have enough hospitals but we are more interested in war games. Covid-19 will pass, but we must learn the lessons inherent in it, failing which we are heading to doom. Important thing here is will we remove our nationalistic sensibilities and truly co-operate with other political parties, in order to do the best for the health of our country’s citizens.

In the end I would like to rephrase the phrase I started my article with,

People should hope for: everything should change with positivity.

 

By; ovais asad khan

CHARITY THE ULTIMATE THING

Charity a way of your salvation

The season of giving (Ramadhan) is upon us once again and it’s time to reconnect with Allah and preform with more zeal all the religious activities. Although, we all are in isolation and enclosed at homes, I think it has given us more time to reflect and pray with piety instead of indulging in hoteling, ifftars and exuberant shopping sprees. People used to spend more on buying unnecessary stuff than  usual but its also the month of zakat and charity .During Ramadan everyone wants to give charity in the form of Zakat, Sadaqah and Zakat to those who are not that well off and are in dire need of your help and support. By doing so we not only earn Allah’s pleasure but also help in community building and keeping a balance in the society, otherwise the differential of have and have not will increase and may lead to an anarchy in the society.

In Islam Charity is considered as Sadaqat.  Sadaqat means to give alms and also legal alms for which the word zakat is used in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. Zakat has been called sadaqat because it is also a kind of compulsory charity. It is an obligatory sadaqa while ordinary sadaqa are voluntary. Islam is the religion which has placed a lot of emphasis on charity (sadaqat) and just to highlight this Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) has mentioned a greater stress on Sadaqat (Charity) he said:

“o truly care for one another, we must love for others what we love for ourselves”. What better way to love one another than to give charity? Apart from professing belief and prayer, charity is considered the third most important component of our faith. But what does our beloved Prophet say about charity? Why is it considered so important? Here are ten insightful hadith about why charity is so important.

1) There Are Many Forms of Charity

“A charity is due for every joint in each person on every day the sun comes up: to act justly between two people is a charity; to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it, is a charity; a good word is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

2) It Protects You from Calamity

The Prophet, upon him be peace, said: “Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

3) It Protects You from Being Miserly

Muhammad, upon him be peace, said: “Avoid doing injustice to others, for on the Day of Judgment, it will turn into manifold darkness, and safeguard yourself against miserliness, for it ruined those who were before you. It incited them to murder and treating the unlawful as lawful.” (Muslim)

4) It Is A Good Deed That Never Ends

Muhammad, upon him be peace, said: “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased).” (Muslim)

5) Charity Will Be A Shade on the Day of Judgment

The Prophet, upon be peace, said: “The believer’s shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

6) It Protects You from the Hellfire

Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, said, “Protect yourself from hell-fire even by giving a piece of date as charity.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

7) It Increases What Allah (swt) Grants You

“Allah, the Exalted, says, ‘Spend, O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.’” – Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

8) Charity Elevates Your Status

Muhammad, upon him be peace, said: “Charity does not in any way decrease the wealth and the servant who forgives, Allah adds to his respect; and the one who shows humility, Allah elevates him in the estimation (of the people).” (Muslim)

9) Seek Only Allah (swt)’s Pleasure with Charity

The Prophet, upon him be peace, said: “A crafty one, a miser, and one who keeps reminding people of what he has given, will not enter Paradise.” (Tirmidhi)

10) Don’t Delay in Giving Charity

“Do not show lethargy or negligence in giving alms and charity till your last breath.” -Muhammad, peace be upon him (Bukhari and Muslim).

Islam has five guiding pillars, one of which is Zakat, the giving of alms to the poor and needy is an important one. It is considered a purifying tax for all adults of sound minds and means, and is viewed as an obligation, and a means of recognizing that everything that a Muslim has belongs to Allah. Islam teaches the sharing of wealth for the needs of others, to allow the less fortunate to stand on their own two feet. The Qur’an specifies eight groups which are eligible to receive Zakat:

Ø  The Fuqara’, The poor.

Ø  Al-Maskin,  The needy.

Ø  Aamileen,  Zakat collector.

Ø  Muallafatul Quloob,  The poor and needy who recently converted to Islam;

Ø  Ar-Riqaab Slaves,  Zakat can be used to purchase their freedom;

Ø  Ibnus-Sabeel,  A stranded traveller in need of financial assistance;

Ø  Al Ghaarimeen:, People in debt; and

Ø  Fi Sabeelillah,  Those who are away from home in the path of Allah.

Now let’s see what charity means in other religions , The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion. Effective altruism is the use of evidence and reasoning to determine the most effective ways to help others. The word charity originated in late Old English to mean a "Christian love of one's fellows. Aside from this original meaning, charity is etymologically linked to Christianity, with the word originally entering into the English language through the Old French word "charité", which was derived from the Latin "caritas", a word commonly used in the Vulgate New Testament to translate the Greek word agape (ἀγάπη), a distinct form of "love. Over time, the meaning of charity has shifted from one of "Christian love" to that of "providing for those in need; generosity and giving.

Most forms of charity are concerned with providing basic necessities such as food, water, clothing, healthcare and shelter, but other actions may be performed as charity: visiting the imprisoned or the homebound, ransoming captives, educating orphans, even social movements. Donations to causes that benefit the unfortunate indirectly, such as donations to fund cancer research, are also charity. A philosophical critique of charity can be found in Oscar Wilde's essay The Soul of Man Under Socialism, where he calls it "a ridiculously inadequate mode of partial restitution . . . usually accompanied by some impertinent attempt on the part of the sentimentalist to tyrannise over [the poor's] private lives", as well as a remedy that prolongs the "disease" of poverty, rather than curing it.

At times people confuses Philanthropy with charity, however Philanthropy consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain, and with government endeavors, which are public initiatives for public good, e.g., focusing on provision of public services. A person who practices philanthropy is a philanthropist.

Philanthropy is different from charity, though there is some overlap. Charity aims to relieve the pain of a particular social problem, whereas philanthropy attempts to address the root cause of the problem Charity, in Christian thought, the highest form of love, signifying the reciprocal love between God and man that is made manifest in unselfish love of one's fellow men. St. Paul's classical description of charity is found in the New Testament (I Cor.)

In Christianity, the importance of charity stems from the fact that according to the Bible Jesus identified himself with the poor and excluded, and said that Christians will be judged not on the beauty of their altars, but on the way that they treat others. It is based on the feeling of love and respect for your neighbour, and that your neighbour could be somebody on the other side of the world and completely different to you.[6] Christian Aid’s principles for example are based on the principle of love for God and your neighbour, and the support of those most in need.

Buddhism and Charity: In Buddhism, there is the distinct concept of Dana, which is related to the Sanskrit and Pali word for ‘donation’, but also includes sharing, and selfless giving without anticipation of return or benefit to the giver. The Charities Aid Foundation hypothesises that the high proportion of people donating money in Buddhism, is likely due to the prevalence of small yet frequent acts of giving in support of those living a monastic lifestyle.

Judaism: In Judaism there is the unique concept of tzedakah, the obligation to perform charitable works. The word is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof which means righteousness, justice or fairness, meaning that while charity in English suggests benevolence and generosity, tzedakah is simply an act of justice and righteousness. It is an intrinsic part of Jewish beliefs and culture.

Whether we are offering emotional support for loved ones, volunteering our time to assist an organization, or donating money to charity, all this will earn us benefits not only in this world but also in the other world where we all will go after the day of Judgment. Some of the worldly benefits as a result of charity are:

Ø  Improved Self-Esteem & Self-Worth Are Health Benefits of Charitable Giving. This leads to a feeling of self-worth knowing that you’re offering much-needed resources to a great cause for those in need. As an added benefit, you and your loved one will both feel good about giving back to others.

Ø  Positive Moods and Low Depression Rates Due to the Psychology of Generosity. With positive self-esteem and self-worth comes a genuinely more optimistic mood and outlook on life as even more health benefits of giving.

Ø  Longer Life Expectancy Is a Result of The Psychology of Giving to Therapy as some studies show that the gift of giving and unselfishness is an altruistic personality trait that is closely aligned with people who live longer.

Ø  Improving the World Community. One person’s charitable giving can help the greater good of humanity; positively impacting more people than a giver may ever comprehend their donation could reach.

Ø  Make a Difference as the gift of giving always comes full circle. Giving is receiving and generosity is contagious. So, the next time you’re thinking about treating yourself, instead remember the positive benefits on your health that donating to charity can bring about, as well as the positive change you can help bring about around the world.

In the end I would like to say “Giving is not just about make a donation, it’s about making a difference”  As “Small acts when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” Another important thing which I would like to mention here is “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving or how we give is more important than how much we give.”

May God give courage to each one of you to support the poor and needy ones especially in this Covid-19 Pandemic with as much as you can or even beyond what you can May God Bless You All.

By: Ovais Asad Khan