Ramadan kareem

Students experience the spirit of sharing and caring during this month. Abiya Ahmad reports on the perceptible changes on campus

If there is any part of the academic year that students look forward to the most, it's Ramadan. Visit a university or college during this month, and you will certainly notice a change in environment.

Oh sure, there will be students rushing to class, cramming for exams, complaining about work as usual, but come sunset and all this takes a back seat.

A deep sense of community kicks in and Muslims and non-Muslims alike, from diverse cultural backgrounds, come together to have iftar.

As Talha Khan, a business administration student, put it, "it's the best time of the year".

Indeed it is, for there is an atmosphere of sharing and caring, of giving and forgiving, that is perhaps less evident all year round.

And it does not require a wait till sunset to experience this, as some students revealed to Notes, because the month elicits a positive change in behaviour altogether.

What Ramadan entails

"This is not a time for sleeping and watching TV; this is a time to repent," said Sebah Al Ali, a double major in computer science and English at the American University of Sharjah (AUS). According to her, Ramadan is a unique opportunity "to get closer to Allah, and we should not let this pass".

Mohammad Al Marzouqi, student council president at Sharjah Men's College (SMC), subscribed to the same view.

"This is a month to develop your relationship with God as well as with family and friends," he said, "and Ramadan has a special environment that encourages us to do this." He added that he hopes to break his smoking habit this month.

True enough, breaking bad habits is something that several students try to do during Ramadan. "Fasting is not just about refraining from food and drink, it is also restraining yourself from other things," said Talha, a student at the International Institute of Technology and Management (IITM) in the Dubai Knowledge Village.

"For example, my friends and I avoid being disrespectful and calling people names."

Emphasis on prayer

Sebah tries to read the Holy Quran more during the month, engage in remembrance of Allah often and try "new approaches to ibaadah [worship]". She said an important aspect was showing others that "fasting does not stop me from going about my daily routine and work".

Emphasis is given in particular to the last 10 days and nights of the month, when even the most playful of students get serious. Talha said he avoids going out with his friends during this time and makes it clear that he wants to focus on worship.

Mohammad agreed, and said the last third of the month is the most important, and giving up sleep in return for praying is a worthwhile exchange.

Activities in store

Apart from having individual plans for the month, students also gear up for collective activities on and off campus.

At AUS every year, the Office of Student Affairs arranges a seating area in the open for iftar, inviting different caterers so students have a variety of options to choose from. Moreover, several cultural clubs also hold iftar evenings.

Sebah, who is vice-president of the Islamic Women's Committee (IWC) at AUS, said the Islamic Club is setting up a tent where iftar will be provided at a minimal charge. In addition, the club has also invited several scholars to lecture.

Operating on the philosophy of feeding the body as well as the soul, the club may also have gatherings in the tent for students to attend lectures.

"We will also send emails to educate everyone about Ramadan," Sebah said. Moreover, competitions are also in order, such as posing a question after each night's prayer in the campus mosque, and awarding a prize for the correct answer.

Asked what the SMC Student Council has in store for the month, Mohammad said they plan to visit the mentally and physically challenged as well as orphans.

These visits will include "providing meals for them, having educational programmes so we can teach them something we learnt in college, for example. We also want to make them feel part of the community."

The council has also organised sports competitions such as "indoor football, babyfoot [foosball], electronic football, as well as some other electronic games, and billiards".

But will these not distract students from worship and tire them? "No," he replied, "because we will have these activities only after the Taraweeh (night) prayer. So everyone has eaten and finished praying by then, and that is the best time for playing sports."

At the end of the month, they have arranged for an iftar which "will also be the closing ceremony for all these competitions," he said.

Religious gathering

At Skyline College, iftar is held on campus once a month when a religious scholar is invited to give a talk, said Nargis Shaukat, an information technology student.

"This is a constructive event because it's not often that we get to attend religious gatherings together as students," she added, "and Ramadan is definitely a time for togetherness."

Speaking about off-campus activities, she said: "My friends and I used to have iftar at least once during the month, when each of us would cook and bring something to share. I hope we can do it again this year."

Talha said some of his friends were planning to propose the idea of having a combined iftar for all the universities and colleges in the Dubai Knowledge Village.

"We were just thinking that it would be nice for all students to gather together in the spirit of Ramadan and get to know each other as well," he said.

Misconceptions

Keeping with the spirit of Ramadan, some may turn religious and give up bad behaviour, then return to their old ways once the month is over. Talha and Mohammad disagreed with this view.

"Many people do that, but this is wrong," Mohammad insisted, "because we must do good throughout the year, it's just that during Ramadan we must do extra."

To illustrate his point, he noted that the Student Council plans to continue making visits to the less fortunate even after Ramadan.

Adopting a more optimistic view, Sebah said something was better than nothing. "At least those who start praying in Ramadan take the effort to start in the first place," she said, "and they just need a push to continue throughout the year."

Distractions

She did add, however, that the common practice of TV channels airing new programmes during the month defeats the purpose of Ramadan.

"If they present programmes that are religiously oriented it's a different thing, but the serials they air have nothing to do with Ramadan and are just distractions."

Everyone agreed that Ramadan should be viewed as a training session, when one devotes extra time for worship, then uses that as a basis to better one's lifestyle and continue gaining rewards.

Asked if anyone wished to add to that, Sebah said, "Ramadan Kareem to everyone."