Suhoor, Quran, pray, eat, Taraweeh, repeat.
This is the daily routine of the average Muslim during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is a month-long Muslim holiday in which Muslims abstain from food and water from dawn to dusk which represents empathy for the less fortunate. The holiday is a time for muslims to grow their relationship with Allah, Allah which means God in Arabic represents the one and only creator and God, and to practice commitment to their faith among the duties of the family and academics.
During this one month holiday, one change that mainly impacts students is their studying schedule. For Jefferson students, having enough time to study is important in order to keep up with the rigor of Jefferson’s academics.
“My daily routine changes a lot during Ramadan, especially for studying,” freshman Omar Bazara said. “Since I get home at 5:30 p.m, I have until 6 p.m. for Iftar to study. If I finish Iftar at 7 p.m, then I have one hour to study before going to Taraweeh. So most of my studying is done after Iftar.”
Muslims also take this time to get closer to Allah, as the Devil is locked away during this holy month. Some activities they partake in is going to Islamic lectures to learn more about Islam, and praying Taraweeh. Taraweeh is a nightly, optional prayer after all of the obligatory prayers.
“I try to read the whole Quran during Ramadan,” Bazara said. “It is also very essential to go to Taraweeh [in order] to stay in touch with Allah. Feeling the pain in your legs after standing for an hour and a half makes you think that this is all for Allah.”
Ramadan means lots of different things for Muslims worldwide. Some take it as a time to repent, while others take this time to get even closer to Allah.
“Ramadan to me is a boost of Imaan,” Muslim Student Association (MSA) treasurer junior Ahmad Assaleh said. “It helps me power through the year, because there are many difficulties as a Muslim that we have to go through in an American society, and Ramadan gives me that boost of faith and Imann to get through the year.”
This month comes with lots of demands, responsibilities and more. But with Imaan, Jefferson students go through them without an issue.
“School is never a problem as long as you have Allah by your side, because Allah will never burden your soul with something that you cannot bear. That’s in the Quran,” Assaleh said. “As long as you put that first and foremost in your mind, Allah will make [you] power through them. And eventually in the end you will get to the goal that Allah wants you to [get to].”
Fasting is when you abstain from food and drink for a set period of time, but to Muslims there is more to this definition.
“For me, the definition of fasting isn’t only [about] staying away from food and drinks,” Bazara said. “[It’s also about] staying away from bad deeds committed from the whole year, maybe trying to increase good deeds [but] mostly staying away from things that take you away from Allah.”