Purifying body and mind, building community

Children run around laughing and squealing as dining services staff and student volunteers ready the final details of last

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By: Nikki RojasHarvard Staff Writer

Friday’s iftar dinner, marking the end of another day of fasting for Ramadan. For a second year the University’s two Muslim chaplains are working with Harvard University Dining Services and its Crimson Catering division to cater the meal, which is served after sunset during the monthlong religious celebration.

Imam Khalil Abdur-Rashid leads evening prayers as students, faculty, staff, and family begin to file in. Many grab dates and water to officially break their daylong fast. After prayers, which are held at the Student Organization Center at Hilles, everyone dives into the meal. Tonight, it’s American BBQ dishes, including beef burgers and potato salad.

“Ramadan is very much a time of community and of blessings and of sharing love and happiness and all of those good things with everybody,” said Reem Ali ’23. During Ramadan, an estimated 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide fast from sunrise to sunset as a way to purify body and mind to create a deeper connection to God and join others in community. It marks the descent of the word of God, the Quran, to the Earth and is one the central pillars of the faith.

Ali said the idea that fasting is difficult could not be further from the truth in her experience. “The whole concept is that this is something that you do together as a group to get closer to God and for it to be a spiritual experience for everyone,” the 21-year-old government concentrator said. “Community-building comes in that, and it’s so beautiful to see it all come together.”

Full article: Purifying body and mind, building community during Ramadan – Harvar...

Comment by Bilal Mahmud المكافح المخلص on April 11, 2023 at 9:17pm: At Harvard, Muslim students, faculty, and other affiliates are coming together to break the fast at school-sponsored meals at the Student Organization Center at Hilles and student-planned events at undergraduate houses around campus.

BY TYLER J.H. ORY

For many Harvard students, staying up until 4 a.m. typically involves a late night spent at Lamont Library to write

an essay or finish a problem set.

But one dedicated group of undergraduates at Leverett House is staying up for a different reason — to cook weekly suhoor meals for Harvard affiliates throughout the month of Ramadan.

Iqra Noor ’23 said because “community is very central” to Ramadan, she and two blockmates — Reem Khalid Ali ’23 and Sadia M. Laisa ’23 — wanted to ensure students could come together for the meals.

“We start preparing food starting at 11 p.m. on Friday nights until the mealtime, which is around 4 a.m.,” Noor said. “This is honestly the only all-nighter I would pull any day.”

The ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a sacred time of fasting, prayer, and reflection.

At Harvard, Muslim students, faculty, and other affiliates are coming together to break the fast at school-sponsored meals at the Student Organization Center at Hilles and student-planned events at undergraduate houses around campus.

Ramadan began this year on the evening of March 22, marking the fourth consecutive year that the month has occurred during the College’s spring classes. It will continue until sundown on April 21.

Full article: ‘A Very Communal Time’: Muslim Harvard Students Gather for Ramadan ...