Ramadan Mubarak!

Written by SUMER ZAKARIA

THIRTY DAYS OF FOURTEEN HOUR STRETCHES with no water or food. That is what many think when they first hear the words “Ramadan” or “fasting.” In reality, there are so many other factors that go into what Ramadan truly is.

Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, is a time of fasting, spirituality, and patience. The Islamic calendar, which follows the lunar calendar as opposed to the solar calendar, is 10 days shorter, which causes Ramadan to move back 10 days each year. Fasting, which occurs from sunrise to sunset, relies on the abstinence of eating or drinking in the name of practicing humility in front of Allah, or God.

During Ramadan each new day begins at sunset the day before, which is why the fast is broken at sundown. This may seem complicated at first; however, this is due to the new day beginning after Maghrib, the fourth of five daily prayers.

While Ramadan is a universal experience among Muslims, college students tend to have a somewhat different reality.

Manshal Brohi, a junior in McCombs, explains that prior to moving away for college, one of the best parts of Ramadan was making iftaar—the meal in which one breaks their fast—with her family.

“We didn’t always have a set family dinner, so it felt extra special to all cook and eat together during Ramadan,” she says.

But after moving to Austin, iftaars are sometimes spent alone, with both cooking and eating placed on the backburner—literally—as studying for upcoming exams takes precedence. As Brohi puts it, “All this means, is I have to make an extra effort to focus on religion, even with my days spent focused on upcoming deadlines.”

That, in part, is what Ramadan is all about. Having a month of putting religion above all else, which is achieved through prayer, fasting, and charity.

The end-of-semester presence of agonizing group projects and unnecessarily long essays does not stop some students from celebrating this holy month.

There are a number of student organizations that host events such as Iftaars for the UT community.The Nueces Mosque works with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) on campus to provide free iftaar meals from halal Austin-based restaurants for those fasting to pick up. Members of MSA begin handing out the prepackaged dinners starting at 7:15 p.m. and continue until just before Maghrib.

The mosque also hosts dinner on the property after prayer for anyone who would like to eat with the Muslim community. With community playing a central role in Ramadan, the mosque works to create a sense of family for those celebrating miles away from home.

For Nabil Ahmed, these iftaar opportunities have provided him with a chance to celebrate Ramadan almost as if he were at home.

“These events don’t quantify what I’m missing at home, but they have helped me experience something new: spending Ramadan with your friends who are experiencing the same thing as you,” he says. “If you think about it, you never just sit down and have a full meal with your roommates—at least I don’t—but during Ramadan, it’s 30 days of the closest thing I’ll get to a ‘family dinner.’”

However, there are some differences. Back home, the mosques are filled with parents and grandparents, a completely different atmosphere than what Nueces Mosque offers. But some find this different experience to be a chance for new opportunities.

Nueces Mosque

As Ahmed explains, Nueces Mosque has created a sense of community for him. Everyone is there for the same reason, and for that reason alone, it is a way to “connect with your friends and people you don’t know. When you’re there every night, people are going to know who you are, and you are going to learn names of people you may have never met otherwise.”

Other campuswide organizations do their part to make Ramadan a joyous time for college students as well.

This year, the Pakistani Student Association plans to host both a sehri, in which Muslims eat together before beginning their fast, and an iftaar.

The organizations that plan these events seek to help college students embrace the change from their usual Ramadan traditions back at home but also aim to foster each individual’s sense of what Ramadan truly means.

As Layla Shere, a sophomore in the College of Natural Sciences, puts it: “Ramadan, at least for me, always comes just when I need it—even with the shifting back 10 days every year. It’s when I finally put spirituality first, almost like a reset. And while the days are long—and hot here in Texas—the nights and time with my loved ones makes it more than worthwhile.”

“You never just sit down and have a full meal with your roommates – at least I don’t – but during Ramadan, its 30 days of the closest thing I’ll get to a ‘family dinner’.”