'Eid means happiness. How can we celebrate when people are dying?'

The lockdown has cast a shadow over EidulFitr festivities Many members of the Muslim community in Mumbai have decided not to celebrate the festival that comes after a monthlong fast during Ramzan Instead they have decided to help poor needy families with food and new clothes for their kids It is also said to be the first time in Islamic history that Muslims will not congregate to offer Eid namaz to adhere to the norms of social distancingMuslim scholars too have urged people not to celebrate Eid this year in solidarity with migrant workers who have been the worst affected in the lockdownAfroze Ansari a tailor in Kurla has tried hard to help his 20member staff PicAtul KambleEid means happiness But how can we celebrate Eid when people are dying in this pandemic My heart goes out to all the bereaved families It is painful to see the pathetic condition of migrants who set off on foot from cities over hundreds of kilometres to reach their hometowns Several have died before they could reach their destination others are starving and parched enroute Hundreds of others have died in this pandemic Ibrahim Tai president of Muslim Council Trust told middayNo gathering for prayersI urge all Muslim families not to celebrate Eid this year instead affluent families must come forward to assist those who cannot afford two square meals in this lockdown said Tai who lives in Pydhonie He has not purchased new clothes for EidShabina Shaikhs children are asking for new clothes but she has no money to feed them let alone get them anything elseFor the first time in Islamic history people will not congregate for EidulFitr prayers and will not hug each other due to the pandemic This is what Islam says to stop the spread of the disease In the history of Islam there were many plagues reported but they were in specific areas Now the entire world is under lockdown I request my Muslim brothers to offer NamazEEid at home help the poor and ensure that none of your neighbours are starving said Mufti Manzur ZiayeeNo money for mealsFor many Muslims celebrating Eid is not even a possibility as most are struggling with having two meals a day Shabina Mehboob Shaikh 35 who stays with her six daughters son and husband in a rented house in Kasaiwada Kurla is among them Her husband worked as a helper at a tea stall in Kurla and hardly earned R300 a day Shabina used to work as a maid but the lockdown has snatched her means of incomeA masjid light up with decorative lights at Mohammad Ali Road on Sunday PicAshish RajeEveryone is locked in the house We have nothing to eat The children have been crying for new clothes to wear in Eid I have no money to purchase ration to feed them how will I purchase new clothes for them The landlord is asking for money sobbed Shabina while talking to middayAfroze Ansari who runs a tailoring shop in Kurla has tried hard and managed to help his 20member staff My staff members too wanted to go to their hometowns but I requested them to stay back in Mumbai because it is not wise to set off on foot to reach Bihar or Uttar Pradesh I managed to convince them and have been providing ration to them said Ansari who has also sent money orders to the relatives of all the karigars craftsmen so they can celebrate EidAdam Sheikh Andheri residentHelping othersBut Ansari and his family have decided not to celebrate Eid this year We are not celebrating Eid this year but the children are too little to understand and had been insisting on new clothes When I was going to purchase clothes for my children the kids in neighbourhood looked at me with hope It was a painful moment for me I purchased new clothes for the neighbourhood children too The smiles on their faces were priceless said Ansari who has also been distributing Iftaar among neighboursA fashion designer Sanjay Karnani said during the Ramzaan month all his karigars used to be very busy but this season is dry So he came up with the idea of starting a campaign CareForKarigars where he declared an online sale with certain discounts The Muslim community came forward to buy the garments just to help thosekarigars in this difficult situationAndheribased Adil Ali said Every year me and my friends visit each others place to have shirkurma and biryani but this year we have planned to distribute the same to people who are in dire need of food My mother said that she will cook vegetarian and nonvegetarian biryani and sheera Me and my friends will pack them in containers and distribute them to the needy among the community and this will be our celebration of EidSimple celebrationMany people are also choosing to go for a simple celebration Shirin Mulani and her family stay in a posh locality in Kandivali East This year too the family observed the rozas But due to the lockdown they were unable to get good fruits The best quality of fruits are crucial for sayri and breaking the roza in the evening but due to the pandemic nothing much could be done We used to purchase fruits that would last us for a week We have been following social distancing and all the instructions given by state and central government and this year we plan to celebrate Eid in a simple manner We are feeling bad that we wont be able to meet friends and family during Eid We will offer the Eid namaz at home and feel all our brothers should also celebrate in a simple way and avoid gathering said MulaniAdam Sheikh a resident of Andheri East is also celebrating in a simple manner We have observed the month of Ramzan and fasted but this year we made sure that we strictly followed the guidelines given by the government because this lockdown is in the larger interest of people We stocked food items and fruits that would last us a week to 10 days This year we wont be able to go out and celebrate Eid and we have decided that at home too we will celebrate in a simple manner We will use video calls to exchange Eid wishes said SheikhInputs by Samiullah Khan and Ranjeet Jadhav Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime 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