Muslim students practice Ramadan while balancing their schoolwork, social life and religious responsibilities. Norah Bayyari wakes up to eat her first meal of the day at 5:00 a.m. before starting an all-day fast.

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“Today I just woke up at, I think 5:00 in the morning, and went down and made my breakfast, and of course drank some water. [I] make sure that I had everything I needed to feel prepared for the day, and I read a little bit of the Quran,” Bayyari said.

Bayyari stopped eating and drinking around 5:45, and went back to bed to catch some more sleep.

On top of their religious duties, Muslim students fulfill their academic requirements and still find time for social activities and hobbies.

“During Ramadan, one of the like most important things is we want to focus on is completing our five daily prayers, so I think for me, um, how I keep things very organized is I organize everything around my five daily prayers,” Muslim Student Association President Husam Younes, said.

After Younes completes his daily prayers, he completes his schoolwork and spends time with his friends.

Luckily, student groups like the Muslim Student Association create a community for those participating.  

“The Muslim Student Association hosts a lot of different events during the month of Ramadan. We begin with one of the biggest events being our dinner, our Iftar, where we host, all students are all welcome to come and have dinner together. We host different speakers and different events just for everyone to kind of come together and enjoy the month all together,” Younes said. 

The meaning behind Ramadan is more than fasting. Bayyari said the holiday helps her connect with her religion and inner gratitude.

“Ramadan for me, honestly, is just a time to kind of build greater habits,” Bayyari said. “Yes, it’s self-reflection, and working on yourself and working on your spiritual connection with God, but at the same time, like it literally allows you to put yourself in the situation when you’re not eating from sun up to sun down, and it should allow you to, like, make you feel grateful for what you have because some people genuinely don’t even have that opportunity,” Bayyari said. 

As the sun goes down, Norah and Husam get to eat together again. While Ramadan is a time of sacrifice, the community grows with love for their Muslim roots.