Muslims around the world commenced their celebration of the holy month of Ramadan on April 12 amidst the COVID-19 challenge that has condemned nations to limited human contact.

In South Sudan, the government lifted the partial lockdown on Wednesday, April 14, but social distancing and wearing of facemasks remain in consideration.

The City Review visited Malakal residential mosque in Juba and established that the government had given a leeway for worship, though the observance of social distancing has caused an upset to the vital Muslim prayer doctrines.

Sheikh Badr al-Din Saleh, the Imam of the Malakal residential area mosque, told The City Review that it has been an act of sacrifice in balancing the prayer observance and following the government directives, which they are mandated by the holy book, the qur’an, to follow.

“The government has instructed us to open mosques with the necessity to implement the rules of Covid 19 such as wearing face masks. All worshipers must carry their own prayer Muslaya (prayer mat) and social distancing [is a must],’’ the sheikh said.

He said Islam orders faithful to remain committed to observing government directives hence the need to implement the safety rules, even though it violates the routine.

 “Islam and Sharia are the guardians of group prayer and filling the rows. We cannot implement this condition by the government, the spacing distance must be a metre and this is inconsistent with the religion. [But] we accepted that so that we are not deprived of praying in mosques.”

This however comes up with more hitches. According to the cleric, not all believers are impressed by the new directives and others opt to pray at home. The marking of Ramadan for this year will end on May 12.

Why Ramadan?

According to History.com, Ramadan is Islam’s holiday period of fasting and introspection and has huge significance.

‘‘Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims,’’ the source states.

On the dos and don’ts of the Ramadan, it states: ‘‘each day during Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. They are also supposed to avoid impure thoughts and bad behavior. Muslims break their daily fasts by sharing meals with family and friends.’’

A three-day festival, Eid al-Fitr normally follows the Ramadan and is one of the major Islam holidays.