Fasting and Festive Prayers Mark Ramadan

This year, Ramadan, the sacred ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, collides with Harvard's fall exam schedule, forcing Islamic students to balance their religious practices with their study time.

The Islamic calendar is based on the moon, so Ramadan falls at different times every year. Because each year the month shifts back 10 days, the fasting also coincided with first semester exams and reading period last year.

The month of Ramadan falls almost exactly during winter break and reading period, beginning Dec. 20 and ending Jan. 18 or 19. The precise date for the end of the month is difficult to ascertain because the time is dependent upon the stages of the moon.

Secretary of the Harvard Islamic Society (HIS) Abdur-Rahman Syed '99, explained the basic Muslim practices of the month of Ramadan.

"It's primarily fasting from dawn to sunset. No food, no drink, no intercourse. Refrain from lying and fighting. It's a time to work on spiritual development," Syed said.

Fasting for Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. HIS President Aamir A. Rehman '99 said that while fasting has no direct correlation to the revelation of the Koran, the practice has a basis as a method of worship in earlier religions, like Yom Kippur in Judaism.

"We believe in the prophethood of earlier prophets because all were sent with some universal truth," Rehman said.

The month of Ramadan (whenever it falls) has significance to Muslims because it was during this period that Mohammed first revealed the Koran, the holy book of the Islamic people. To commemorate this revealed, it is traditional to read part of the Koran for an hour each day throughout the month until it is finished.

During Ramadan, many Muslims wake up before sunrise to prepare for the fast by eating a meal before a prayer at dawn. Dawn is currently around 5:30 a.m. University Dining Services can provide students with prepared breakfasts for this repast, but many students say that this year they have been grabbing fly-by lunches or a nutri grain bar. After eating, individuals say the morning prayer. The next daily prayer is at sunset.

Jeloni M. Shabazz'00 said he lost about 12 pounds last year during Ramadan.

"It's always the skinniest guys who lose weight," he said.

For many of the people who fast, the nighttime meals are a chance to eat more than they normally would, resulting in some heavy consequences.

"I manage to gain weight because I eat more than I should," Haque said. "I'll often be ordering pizza late at night."

Because Ramadan is in the middle of the winter this year, the days are extremely short and therefore the fasting is not as arduous as it is when Ramadan falls in the lighter months. With the sun setting at around 4:30 p.m., the requirement of abstaining from food and drink is certainly less pressing.

Traditionally, Muslims do not break the daily fast alone. In Muslim countries during Ramadan, people from all walks of life gather in mosques and pray together. To recreate this atmosphere for the Harvard community, HIS sponsors a collective prayer every night at sunset in Boylston Halls Ticknor Lounge, where up to 40 undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and community members join for the prayer and dinner.

At around 4:20 p.m., the participants congregate to eat dates, the traditional staple for breaking the fast in Islamic heritage, and to drink milk and apple juice, (neither of which have any religious or historical significance). After this brief snack, those in attendance stand in rows in their bare feet and pray for several minutes, although men and women pray in separate areas of the room.

Following the prayers, members chat and eat dinner. Then they recite their night prayers together. In many ways the event is as social as it is religious.

"It's community-building time. We try to strengthen ties," Rehman said of the society's Ramadan efforts.

"And it doesn't hurt that the food is catered," Imran S. Jamaid '00 said.

Just like any major religious holiday, spending time with family is important during Ramadan. But students say the atmosphere at school provides the same sense of togetherness they would have at home. Students said in many ways, HIS gatherings are closer than those at mosques because all of the participants have very similar lives and are peers.

"Its kind of a surrogate family here. For this month we're together and it's a lot of fun," Raqeeb M. Haque '00 said.

First-years experiencing their first Ramadan away from home said their introduction to college spirituality has been positive, even if living in the Yard means they do not have their parents to wake them before dawn every morning. Celebrating with other students instead of family may be new to them, but first-years said they enjoy the bonding.

"It's a different group context," Faiz P. Shakai '02 says. "We're all going through reading period here. We're all in the same boat," he said.

Although Syed said the lengthy, nightly event takes him away from his studies, especially when combined with the three other times he and fellow Muslims pray daily, he says that it helps him regulate the free time he does have.

"Three hours is quite a chunk of the day. It complicates a schedule but it helps organize. You learn to make use of time between any given priority," Syed said.

Others said they view the Ramadan gatherings as a break from more than just fasting.

"This is a form of a study break in a sense," Jamaid said.

Although dealing with the stress of exams may not be the best environment for religious celebration, students say that even when the holiday falls during exams, Ramadan helps them manage their time better. "Last year because I was fasting during the day, I didn't have anything to do but study. I would wake up and head for the library instead of the dining hall," Marshall M. Henshaw '01 said.

Shabazz agreed that he is thankful Ramadan is converging with reading period again.

"It adds extra discipline to my life. I have more things scheduled; I get more busy; I get more done," Shabazz said.

Some students said that it is not fasting that complicates studying, but the other way around. "This is my religion. This is my priority. My exams come second," Marwah Abdallah '00 said.

Whether praying, fasting, eating or studying, Syed said one of his friends explained to him why fasting and practicing Ramadan is not such a bad idea for students at exam time. "With all of the tests, it's all the more reason to remember God.

Shabazz agreed that he is thankful Ramadan is converging with reading period again.

"It adds extra discipline to my life. I have more things scheduled; I get more busy; I get more done," Shabazz said.

Some students said that it is not fasting that complicates studying, but the other way around. "This is my religion. This is my priority. My exams come second," Marwah Abdallah '00 said.

Whether praying, fasting, eating or studying, Syed said one of his friends explained to him why fasting and practicing Ramadan is not such a bad idea for students at exam time. "With all of the tests, it's all the more reason to remember God.