Saturday, January 10, 1998

Islamic college students enjoy togetherness during Ramadan

By Saleema Syed / Knight-Ridder Newspapers

PHILADELPHIA -- It's 4 a.m. Most college students are nestled in their rooms, cramming some sleep into their systems in time for their early-morning classes. But Farid Sanders, a junior at Drexel University, is quietly crunching away at a bowl of cereal. Though not very hungry, he's up and eating because the sun will be out soon, and he won't eat again until sunset.

Sanders is not the only one having an early breakfast. He's among the many Muslims who alter their schedules to fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began last week.

The breakfast, called "Sahoor," is typically the only part of fasting Sanders practices alone. Ramadan is a month of togetherness and solidarity among Muslims, and Sanders will spend as much of it as he can with his Muslim friends.

Ramadan requires a lot of Muslims. The fast, one of the five pillars of Islam, requires that they abstain from food, liquids, and other pleasures of the flesh -- such as smoking and sex -- from sunrise to sunset. Many Muslims also attend a congregational prayer each night called "Tarawih," which is in addition to the five daily prayers. Some people read all 30 chapters of the Koran, a chapter a day.

Those practices are hardly seen as a burden, though. Most Muslims welcome Ramadan as a time to gather and become close to Allah and one another.

For college students and other Muslim young adults out on their own, Ramadan is often the peak time of the year for personal observance. Students interviewed said they and others gladly transfer their family's practices to the campus setting.

At the University of Pennsylvania campus, Hassan Chowdhry, a senior, and Hanaa Kilany, a graduate student, said they, like Sanders, feel an increased solidarity and spirituality during Ramadan.

Kilany, of Cairo, said she misses her family gatherings during Ramadan but finds a similar togetherness with members of the Muslim Students Association at Penn.

"I enjoy Ramadan here because it's more or less the same as back in Egypt," said Kilany, who also teaches Arabic at the university. "We share a social and spiritual bond, and we reflect on people's experiences. The religion brings people together."

One aspect of the togetherness, according to Chowdhry, the MSA president, is more gatherings. During Ramadan, students get together each Saturday for "Iftar," the breaking of the fast. The MSA also holds lectures and invites speakers to discuss Islam. Chowdhry, 20, of Pakistan, said Ramadan brings increased attendance to the Friday afternoon prayers in Houston Hall, the student union, and at the Jamia Masjid, a mosque at 43rd and Walnut streets.

Sanders, 20, of the Philadelphia area, is president of the Islamic Society of Drexel. He said spending time with Muslim friends on Ramadan enables him to be more religious.

"During the year, I hang out with my non-Muslim friends," he said. "But during Ramadan, I try to be with my Muslim friends. You feel close to God during that time, and you don't want any distractions."

During Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to practice kindness, patience and graciousness as acts of purity. Many students take the opportunity to invite friends to dinner. "You can become closer to God by being nice to other people," Kilany said. "It makes you happy, and you want to do more of it."

For all of these students, going through Ramadan with other Muslims makes the holy month all the more meaningful. It's easier to get up early and have breakfast with the family, Sanders said, because they're going through it together. But when he's on campus, he sometimes feels alone and seeks out Muslim companionship.

During his freshman year, Sanders found a Muslim friend who lived in his dormitory. During Ramadan, they would wake up early and meet in a student lounge to have breakfast together.

That, Sanders said, is what inspired him to start the Islamic Society of Drexel. He wanted to form an organization that would allow Muslim students to find companionship, especially during Ramadan.

Since then, Sanders has found other Muslim friends on campus. On most evenings during Ramadan, they meet in the cafeteria to break their fast together.

That is, of course, unless they're in class. For many students, the rigors of academics cause some inconveniences during Ramadan. Sanders tries to arrange his schedule so he is not in class at sunset or during the Friday afternoon prayer. That isn't always possible.

Chowdhry noted that it is important to break the fast at the right time. Tradition dictates that, following the practice of the prophet Muhammad, Muslims are to break their fast with dates and water. Chowdhry doesn't let classes stand in the way.

"Sometimes, I have to break the fast while I'm in class," he said, "so I have to step outside for a few minutes and then come back in."

Despite the demands of Ramadan, the three students do not feel their academics suffer. On the contrary, Kilany believes her schoolwork excels.

"I enjoy working during Ramadan. It gives me a clarity of mind," she said. "When I don't eat, my mind is more clear and sharp. I'm more organized because I have to do other things at night."

Chowdhry, too, feels the added activities force him to manage his schedule better. But the gain for him isn't in academics so much as self-contemplation.

At other times of the year, he said, he has to take time out to reflect on his religion. During Ramadan, this contemplative atmosphere "is something that's there with you. You feel it. It's sort of a passive thing; it just happens."

Chowdhry said the increased spirituality derives from religious activity and physical deprivation. He also credits Allah.

"This is supposed to be a month that Allah himself has blessed," Chowdhry said. "It's believed that one way He has done that is that He has chained the devil. And the devil isn't able to tempt us."

One of the temptations Chowdhry is able to avoid during Ramadan is procrastination. Fasting and prayer enable him to work efficiently so he can channel maximum time into Islam.

His juggling act isn't anything extraordinary, he said. "Really, it's just a blessing and an opportunity."

(c) 1998, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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