In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful,
I greet you all with the Islamic greeting of peace: As-Salaamu Alaykum! Peace be upon you!
On behalf of the Office of Muslim Student Life, I would like to wish our Muslim students, faculty, and staff, Ramadan Mubarak! May you all have a blessed Ramadan!
Ramadan marks the Islamic month of fasting and the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. This year, Ramadan will begin on Tuesday April 13, 2021, and end on Wednesday May 12, 2021, followed by the Eid Al-Fitr holiday on Thursday May 13, 2021. Every day for one month, Muslims around the world will abstain from eating and drinking (including water) from dawn until sunset. This is a time marked by worship, spiritual reflection, and community. While Ramadan this year will be social distanced, we will not be spiritually distanced from one another as a community. Muslim Student Life is committed to supporting our Muslim students virtually through sharing religious reminders and spiritual resources online on Instagram and YouTube.
With the beginning of Ramadan, we also welcome the new season of spring. It is indeed a welcome spring after the difficult yearlong pandemic that we are slowly emerging from, thank God. This Ramadan, let us remember to continue following local health guidelines to keep each other safe in this last stretch of the pandemic for indeed, if any saves a life it is as if he saves the lives of all mankind (Quran 5:32). We look forward to gathering together once again on campus when we reopen, God willing.
Ramadan is a time of spiritual renewal. The purpose of fasting is explained to us in the Quran as follows: You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be mindful of God (Quran 2:183). During this holiest of months, let us strive to cultivate greater God consciousness as we increase in our acts of worship. Through the practice of self-restraint by withholding food and drink, let us recognize and be grateful for our many blessings from God that too often are taken for granted.
This month is a month of deep prayer and it is a time to give to charity and learn more about faith. Ramadan is also the month of the Quran and we are encouraged to increase our reading and recitation of the holy scripture. We learn in the second chapter of the Quran: It was in the month of Ramadan that the Qur’an was revealed as guidance for mankind, clear messages giving guidance and distinguishing between right and wrong (Quran 2:185). Through greater reflection on the Quran, may we be inspired to transform our world and tackle humanity’s greatest challenges to forge a better tomorrow for us all, God willing.
I pray for everyone’s safety and health. I pray that God accepts our fasting and our worship this Ramadan. May God bless us all this holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Kienan Taweil
Program Coordinator for Muslim Student Life
