Muslims around the world marked the start of Eid al-Adha today amid the global pandemic which has affected nearly every aspect of the religious rites.
The four-day Feast of the Sacrifice coincides with the last days of the Hajj in Saudi Arabia, which has been drastically scaled back because of the coronavirus crisis.
Animals are traditionally slaughtered and the meat distributed to the poor to commemorate the prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, but the economic crisis means that many cannot afford livestock.
Mosques have imposed strict hygiene rules to prevent the virus from spreading at Eid prayers, while families in many countries are unable to gather as they normally would.
DOHA, QATAR: Muslim worshippers wearing masks are spread out at a social distance as they perform Eid al-Adha prayers at the Ali bin Ali Mosque in Doha on Friday morning
ISTANBUL, TURKEY: Muslims pray outside the Hagia Sophia, which was recently converted back into a mosque in a controversial move signed off by Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan
DENPASAR, INDONESIA: Muslim worshippers prepare a sacrificial cow for Eid al-Adha, which traditionally involves slaughtering animals to commemorate the prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son at God’s command
JERUSALEM: Palestinian Muslims pray at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s old city on the first day of Eid al-Adha today
In the Iraqi capital Baghdad, streets were largely empty due to a 10-day lockdown imposed by authorities to prevent further spread of the virus, while Eid prayers in mosques were cancelled.
‘We had hoped that the curfew would be lifted during the Eid period … we were surprised that the lockdown period included the Eid holiday and more,’ said Marwan Madhat, a Baghdad cafe owner. ‘This will cause losses.’
Kosovo and the United Arab Emirates have also closed mosques to limit the spread of the virus.
In Lebanon, Muslim worshippers prayed in mosques under tight security, despite a partial lockdown imposed Thursday that will continue until August 10.
Worshippers at the Mohammad al-Amin Mosque in the capital, Beirut, spilled onto the street outside to maintain social distancing rules.
In Indonesia, home to the world’s largest population of Muslims, people were allowed to attend Eid prayers in mosques under strict health guidelines.
Believers are required to bring their own prayer mats and pray several feet apart from one another, while worshippers must wear masks and are not allowed to shake hands or hug.
Authorities in Indonesia also ordered that meat be delivered door-to-door to the poor to avoid long lines.
MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA: Muslim pilgrims keep their distance as they walk around the holy Kaaba while performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, which coincides with Eid al-Adha
DUBLIN, REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Worshippers mark the occasion at the Croke Park rugby ground in Dublin today
ISTANBUL, TURKEY: Muslims pray at the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, which recently held its first Islamic prayers for nine decades after it was converted from a museum into a mosque
ISTANBUL, TURKEY: A drone view shows the crowds at the Hagia Sophia, which was once a Christian church in what was then Constantinople before it became a mosque, then a museum and now a mosque again
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Muslims wearing face masks prepare to slaughter a cow during an Eid al-Adha festival today
MUMBAI, INDIA: People transport a goat by rickshaw for the start of Eid al-Adha, which is taking place in the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic which has pushed many people closer to poverty
TEHRAN, IRAN: Iranians buy sheep at a livestock market in Tehran today in order to slaughter them for Eid al-Adha
The pandemic has pushed millions of people around the world closer to the brink of poverty, making it harder for many to fulfill the religious tradition of purchasing livestock.
In Somalia, the price of meat has slightly increased. Abdishakur Dahir, a civil servant in Mogadishu, said that for the first time he won’t be able to afford goat for Eid because of the impact of the virus on work.
‘I could hardly buy food for my family,’ Dahir said. ‘We are just surviving for now. Life is getting tougher by the day.’
In some parts of West Africa, the price for a ram has doubled. Livestock sellers, used to doing brisk business in the days before the holiday, say sales have dwindled and those who are buying can’t afford much.
‘The situation is really complicated by the coronavirus, it’s a tough market,’ Oumar Maiga, a livestock trader in Ivory Coast said. ‘We are in a situation we’ve never seen in other years.’
Muslim leaders in Albania and Kosovo called on people ‘to be careful’ in their festivities to avoid transmission of the virus, including limiting family visits.
A few days ahead of Eid, Alioune Ndong in Senegal said he did not know how he’d come up with the money for his family’s feast. He called on Senegal’s government to help struggling families like his.
‘Covid-19 has drained my money,’ said Ndong, a tailor based in the town of Mbour.
BRADFORD, UNITED KINGDOM: Worshippers pray at the Bradford Central Mosque in West Yorkshire today as Eid celebrations in the UK were severely disrupted by new lockdown measures in the North of England
BRADFORD, UNITED KINGDOM: Worshippers pray in the North of England where there was fury today at the Government’s abrupt decision to impose new restrictive measures in an area where many Muslims live
KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT: Muslims wearing white robes stand on their prayer mats at a football stadium in the Al Bayan district
GAZA CITY: Muslims attend Eid al-Adha prayers in the Palestinian territory on Friday, as the Muslim festival coincides with the scaled-down Hajj in Saudi Arabia
WEST BANK: Palestinians pray in the street after being prevented from entering the Ibrahimi mosque due to overcrowding
JAKARTA, INDONESIA: A drone view shows people praying and complying with social distancing rules at the al-Azhar Mosque
PEKANBARU, INDONESIA: Muslims pray outside the An-Nur Grand Mosque in Riau Province to mark Eid al-Adha on Friday
DENPASAR, INDONESIA: A man carries a sacrificial goat which is typically shared out to celebrate Eid al-Adha
MEDAN, INDONESIA: People wearing masks and prayer caps attend prayers at Merdeka Square in Binjai this morning
SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVNIA: People kneel in prayer while keeping their distance at the Gazi Huzrev-beg Mosque
The hajj pilgrimage has also been drastically impacted by the virus. Last year, some 2.5 million pilgrims took part, but this year as few as 10,000 pilgrims already residing in Saudi Arabia were allowed to take part.
The Saudi Health Ministry said there have been no cases of the Covid-19 illness among this year’s pilgrims.
The government took numerous precautions, including testing pilgrims for the virus, monitoring their movement with electronic wristbands and requiring them to quarantine before and after the hajj.
Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal, and all had to be between the ages of 20 and 50 years old.
Sheikh Abdullah al-Manea, member of the Supreme Council of Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia, used the hajj sermon Friday to praise the kingdom’s leadership for their ‘wise decision’ to limit the number of pilgrims and protect human life.
‘We thank the positive role of Muslims around the world that have complied with the regulations of the country to protect them from the spread of this virus, which leads to the protection of Mecca and Medina,’ the sheikh said.
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: A man helps slaughter sheep for Eid al-Adha, which typically sees meat distributed to the poor
SKOPJE, NORTH MACEDONIA: Muslims perform Eid al-Adha at the Mustafa Pasha Mosque in the Eastern European capital
AMMAN, JORDAN: Jordanians bow their heads at an Eid al-Adha prayer service in the Middle East country’s capital today
TIRANA, ALBANIA: Muslims conduct morning prayers in one of Europe’s most heavily Islamic countries this morning
BATUMI, GEORGIA: People line up to pray at the Central Mosque in Batumi in the former Soviet nation on Friday morning