Ramadan is a holy month celebrated by Muslims worldwide. This year, Ramadan is Evening of Fri, Feb 28 – Sat, Mar 29. During this month Muslims fast from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Many students in the community participate in the month long holiday, including freshmen Sameer Elkhatib and Rayhana Diallo. Elkhatib explains in simple terms what Ramadan is. 

“Ramadan is a month where I fast from food and water, and it moves back ten days every year and is also pushed back ten minutes each year. I have to fast from sunrise to sunset, I can only eat at night and not during the day. I can not eat food or drink water during the day,” Elkhatib said. “Ramadan is for paying respect to the homeless and is supposed to teach you patience. That is the main purpose of Ramadan.”

Since you can not eat when it is light out, that might have an affect on your energy levels for the day. Diallo tells us how that plays a roll in her academics and her athletics.

“I still try as hard as I normally do in academics even though I have less energy. I get really tired sometimes and it gets hard to stay focused sometimes, Diallo said. “In athletics it is draining too because you are dehydrated and are trying to not pass out and stuff.”

This is Elkhatib’s perspective on how the lack of energy and focus takes a toll on him turning the academic part of his day and the athletic part of his day.

“Academic wise it does not play too much of a role because I can focus during class,” Elkhatib said. “When it comes to track I feel like I am going to pass out sometimes. It is really hard to keep conscious sometimes and being dehydrated does not help.”

Ramadan can affect your daily life in many ways. Diallo explains how it changes her normal life into more of a challenge.

“I think it is really draining because you do not have as much energy because you are not eating as much food as you normally would,” Diallo explains.

There are so many different aspects to Ramadan. Elkhatib shares what he thinks the most interesting part of this holiday is and why.

“Probably dinner during the night or after Ramadan because we have a holiday after Ramadan ends,” Elkhatib said. “After Ramadan ends we have a three to four day holiday called Eid. We see friends, family and give gifts to each other.“