Muslims around the world marked Ramzan under the unprecedented coronavirus lockdown on Friday with bans on family gatherings and mass prayers, while a pushback in some countries has sparked fears of a surge in infections. This year, the holy daytime fasting month will be a sombre affair for many across Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

Widespread rules have been imposed banning praying in mosques or meeting relatives and friends for large “iftar” meals at dusk, a centrepiece of the month-long fast. But with social distancing rules in place, the highlight of Ramzan will be missed by the community around the world.

The Ka’bah, the gold-embroidered shrine in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, is closed to worshippers along with the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque.

“Our hearts are tortured from pain in the holy month of Ramadan,” said Sheikh Omar al-Kiswami, the imam and director of al-Aqsa, where only guards and mosque employees will be permitted to pray, reports The Guardian. “It is a very sad moment in the history of Islam.”

The restrictions have put a damper on spirits in Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation, where national religious organisations have called on the faithful to stay at home.

However, some religious leaders in Asia, home to nearly a billion of the world’s Muslims have waved off fears about the spread of COVID-19. The top Islamic organisation in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province publicly bucked a national order to stay at home.

Several thousand worshippers attended evening prayers Thursday at the biggest mosque in the region’s capital Banda Aceh, though crowds were smaller than usual.

“I’m not worried because I’m wearing a face mask and keeping my distance,” said Cut Fitrah Riskiah, one of those taking part.

The threat of large religious gatherings has been highlighted in recent weeks by waves of infections in Asia, linked to separate, massive Islamic congregations in Malaysia, Pakistan and India.

And the World Health Organization has called for a stop to some Ramadan activities to limit exposure.

But in Bangladesh, clerics have pushed back at attempts to shrink the number of people going to mosques. And Pakistan has seen its mosques crammed in the lead up to Ramadan with the faithful sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and paying little heed to social distancing.

Mohamad Shukri Mohamad, the top Islamic cleric in the conservative Malaysian state of Kelantan, planned to skip public prayers and family meals, even if it meant not seeing his six children and 18 grandchildren. “This is the first time in my life that I’ve been unable to go the mosque,” he told AFP.

“But we must accept it and obey the rules of social distancing to protect our lives.” Muslim-majority Malaysia has extended a strict lockdown until mid-May with mosques, schools and most businesses closed, and police checkpoints set up to catch rulebreakers.

Even popular Ramadan bazaars, where Muslims buy local delicacies before breaking their fast, have been banned. Instead, Malaysians can only order from so-called “e-bazaars”, where people order goods online and have them delivered to their homes.

In neighbouring Indonesia, fears of a spike in coronavirus cases when millions travel to hometowns and ancestral villages at the end of Ramadan has forced the country of some 260 million to issue a ban on the annual exodus.

The government has also announced a clampdown on all air and sea travel across the 17,000-island archipelago. AFP reports, Jakarta resident Erik Febrian said he was relying on a computer to allow him to keep in touch with his out-of-town parents until he can see them in person at the end of Ramadan. “Thanks to technology I can video-call my parents every day during Ramadan,” he said. “And keep an eye on their health.”

Jamia Masjid, one of the oldest and grandest mosques in Kashmir, usually overflows in the evenings with people gathering for prayer and socialising, will sit silent for the first time in its history in this holy month.

Meanwhile, India’s Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi expressed confidence that Muslims will abide by lockdown guidelines during the holy month of Ramzan.

He said imams, Ulema and Muslim organizations across India have unanimously decided that during Ramzan, Muslims will not congregate in mosques, religious places and perform all rituals like ”Iftaar” (breaking of fast) and ”taraweeh” (special prayers) at home keeping in mind social distancing norms. Naqvi said he has spoken with state waqf board officials, social and religious leaders, imams on adherence to the lockdown and social distancing guidelines during the Ramzan month starting Friday or Saturday evening and they have begun creating awareness among the people.

The Guardian reports, in the UK, the Muslim Council of Britain has encouraged people to hold virtual iftars on social media. More than 1,400 people have signed up for nightly iftar broadcast of the call to prayer, and guest speakers are being organised over Zoom by the UK-based Ramadan Tent Project, with the option for viewers to split off into smaller group discussions. “Just because you’re in quarantine, it doesn’t mean you have to spend Ramadan alone,” said Rohma Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the project.

The pandemic has infected 2,716,917 people and claimed 190,985 lives around the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.

(With inputs from AFP)