The holy month of Ramadhan is now in its final days, and not to forget that all related festivities and celebrations were put on hold in the first two years of this decade.
The Covid scare is not fully over yet, but Muslims across the world and here in the Sultanate of Oman did celebrate and socialise without going overboard.
According to religious leaders, all Ramadhan nights are important, but the last week or ten days are more special and important compared to others.
Speaking to the ‘Observer’, several citizens and expatriates said that Ramadhan this year was almost back to normal, but not yet.
“I hope businesses were able to make up for the losses of the last two years and let us hope that this will be a new beginning for each and everyone – business, students, teachers, employers, employees and elders’’, said Saeed, 70, from Qurayat, who for the first-time spent Ramadhan inside four walls in 2020 and 2021 without even going to mosques. Traditional cities like Nizwa, saw streets and shops with lanterns, while malls and food joints joined the bandwagon with discounts, promotions and lucky draws.
“We all remember the times when I used to buy lights for Ramadhan and invite my friends or relatives for iftar. Occasionally, we used to visit their homes’’, said Mustafa Khan, who used to work with volunteer groups to provide iftar boxes to blue-collar workers who often spent fasting months working under the scorching sun.
“Every Ramadhan, we only want the world to be a peaceful place with no tensions and disputes, but that has been one of the most difficult things to achieve’’, he regretted.
“With many jobs and lives lost due to the pandemic, I hope this Ramadhan will make up for the lost two years of this decade, and people will have reasons to celebrate in much more vigour next year, which will also be in milder months of March’’, said Ghazala, who is observing the fast with her eight-year-old daughter.
Still urging to exercise caution, the Supreme Committee urged that Eid al Fitr congregational prayers should be restricted to the vaccinated only; unvaccinated people and children under 12 years will not be allowed to attend the prayers.
Abidance by the precautionary measures, including wearing a face mask in indoor settings and avoiding handshakes and hugging, is mandatory.
It also called for the continuation of precautionary measures, social distancing in indoor settings and abidance by health norms when sneezing and coughing, a ban on all forms of assembly at public places especially Eid gatherings and mass celebrations, on wedding parties and condolences at mosques, halls and other public places is still in place.
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