Muslims around the world are celebrating a Ramadan like no other as the Holy Month begins amid unprecedented restrictions due to coronavirus.
Countries across the globe have enforced lockdowns and strict social distancing rules to limit the spread of the deadly bug.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest shrines, said he is saddened that Muslims cannot pray together at mosques as a result.
‘I am pained that the holy month arrives amid circumstances that make us unable to perform group prayers and Taraweeh – special Ramadan night prayers – at mosques due to precautionary measures to protect the peoples’ lives and health in combating the coronavirus pandemic,’ the king said in a statement cited by SPA.
Nevertheless, traditions are being carried out all over the world to mark the start of the celebration.
Observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk during Ramadan and gather with family to break the fast in the evening.
Three official members of Zagreb Mosque in Croatia, pictured, perform the first Tarawih Prayer without congregation due to the strict lockdown rules
Israeli security forces man a checkpoint, pictured, outside the Damascus Gate of the old city of Jerusalem, decorated with lights for the start of Ramadan
Placards for Ramadan are posted outside the Islamic Cultural Center in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, pictured, which remains closed due to social distancing guidelines
A Palestinian boy swings a homemade sparkler firework, pictured as he celebrates the start of the first night of the Muslim holy month in Gaza City
It is also a month of prayers during which Muslims traditionally converge in large numbers at mosques, especially at night.
But due to the coronavirus, almost all Muslim majority countries have closed mosques and asked people to pray at home in addition to imposing curfews to limit the spread of the deadly virus.
In Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Sanaa noted that Ramadan comes as the country struggles with war and affliction.
‘People across Yemen will mark Islam’s holy month this year amid ongoing conflict, seasonal diseases, floods and rising prices, in a country where the economic situation doesn’t allow two thirds of the population to access or afford enough food,’ the ICRC said in a statement.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen called for the cessation of hostilities in a war which has killed tens of thousands of civilians.
‘To the parties to the conflict, I say: be guided by the spirit of the Holy month and put an end to the suffering of your people,’ Martin Griffiths said.
A woman walks on a street in the Imbaba neighborhood of Giza, pictured, which has been decorated with colour ahead of the celebration
Mosque representatives give a streamed live lecture, pictured, in The Hague, the Netherlands, amid the coronavirus pandemic
Muslim men perform an evening prayer called ‘tarawih’, pictured, marking the first evening of Ramadan despite concerns of the new coronavirus outbreak at the Islamic Centre Mosque in Lhokseumawe, Aceh province, Indonesia
A giant Ramadan lighthouse, pictured, is set up at Yasser Arafat Square ahead of the holy month in Ramallah, West Bank
The Hunkar Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, pictured, is almost empty as the first prayer for Ramadan is performed
‘Put down the arms. Release all those who lost their liberty due to the conflict. Open humanitarian corridors. Focus on coordinating your efforts to help your country respond to the pandemic outbreak and other emergency needs,’ he added.
Most Arab countries including Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Bahrain have announced Friday as the first day of Ramadan.
Several countries have eased restrictions on the occasion of the holy month with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other countries reducing the duration of the lockdowns.
The UAE said on Thursday it has decided to ease a total lockdown to an eight-hour nightly curfew and also moved to partially reopen malls and markets.
The start date of Ramadan, the holiest Muslim month, is set by both lunar calculations and physical sightings which determine when one month ends and another begins.