‘How we’ll observe this year’s no-school, no-Tafsir, no-tarawih Ramadan’

Respondents are students of Medina College, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Farida Akanni, SSS2

With the look of things, we will observe this year’s Ramadan staying at home, due to the health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has implication on our congregational prayers during this Holy Month, which includes not being able to observe Taraweeh solat together because a lot of people will have to gather.  We will also not be able to organize iftar for people, this is so sad because we have to keep social distance and we must be careful with the way we interact with people.

Covid-19 does not stop us from doing all our acts of ibadah like reading the Qur’an, saying dhikr and so on. We can also join online tafsirs since we cannot gather.

During this off-school and pandemic period, I will intensify my efforts on reflecting on the Quran, which is key in this month, and observe all necessary ibadah without contradicting the government’s policy in curbing the pandemic.

Also, I will listen to lectures (tafsir) on the internet and cable networks to keep my spirituality intact in this Holy Month.

Raidah Kareem, JS1

It is sad that Tarawih can’t be observed in congregation and Tafsirs in congregation would be cancelled due to Covid-19.  Secondly, Ramadan is a month when we come closer to Allah and improve our deen. In our homes, we can observe both daily prayers and Tarawih in congregation, and tafsir can be facilitated by a member of the family. Lastly, we can make Ramadan fun, we can play Islamic games to teach more about the deen; games like Qur’an challenge, Hadith challenge, Islamic colouring books for kids etc. It is also an opportunity to memorise the Holy Qur’an.

Ibrahim Aliyu, SS2

This year is a very different year because of  the deadly virus. Moreover, we have to obey the government’s directives that are for our safety.  Even though, the government has declared all schools officially closed till further notice, this should not stop us from learning. The learning should continue as schools have created platforms for teachers and students to interact.  In addition, as for the no-tafsir, we do not have to go out of our houses to listen to tafsir. Tafsir is just like a speech by an islamic scholar to make us know more and increase our faith. We can just listen to online tafsir by islamic scholars. However, the tarawih which is a voluntary prayer can be observed singly or with our families.  The remaining religious activities such as Qur’an recitation can also be conveniently done at home.

Abdulsamad Amoo

Presently, it is with no doubt that a lot of people are in pain during this pandemic. Nevertheless, this present situation is actually an avenue for the Muslims to perform a lot of good deeds like reciting the Qur’an etc. which can be done in the comfort of our homes. This is the computer age where internet access is just up our noses and this enables Internet classes to be held without stress which has been advised to students all over the world to make up for this no-school period.

Ahmadu Safiyyah Ibrahim

This year’s Ramadan is going to be a weird one as it is going to be a no-school, no-tafsir and no-tarawih one.

This is a medium we can use as a backup to the no-school challenge. No-Tafsir, this is very heartbreaking to hear, that in this holy month of Ramadan we can’t have tafsir sessions in our mosques. Nevertheless, we can afford to have them live on social media platforms and YouTube channels. Though this option might not be convenient for all but it is the only option we have at the moment.

Ramadan with no-tarawih prayers is not actually a complete one. We should endeavour to observe the prayers at home with our families. This Ramadan is not going to be a busy one, so we will have more time to dedicate ourselves to almighty Allah. Let us all put more efforts in making sure that we perform all our daily ibadaats in our homes, so that we use it as a ‘Tawassul’ in our prayers for Allah to wipe away this pandemic.

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