In Christianity, there are holidays like Christmas and Easter, and in Judaism, there’s Hanukkah and Passover. Similarly, in Islam, there is Eid-Al Adha, Eid-Al Fitr, and Ramadan. The biggest holiday for most Muslims is Ramadan. Ramadan is the act of fasting from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. However, due to the quarantine, Muslims are experiencing added strains to their routines during the holiday.

With the arrival of Ramadan, a lot of Muslims were looking forward to spending time with their close friends and family while gathered around the table eating iftar, the time when they are allowed to break their fasts. During the 30 days, it is seen as an opportunity to both reconnect with God and their community. If the holiday did not have to be celebrated while social distancing, Safaa Elhashash, sophomore, would have been spending this time at the mosque with her friends. 

“During a normal Ramadan, my family and I would go to the masjid[mosque] and break our fasts with other Muslims in the community. When we’re at the mosque, we also pray something called Taraweeh, which is when we gather to read from our holy book, the Quran. Our goal during the month is to finish the Quran. Being at the masjid gives me time to be with my closest friends and honestly, I was really looking forward to it this year,” stated Elhashash.

Social distancing had put a strain on the things that could be done during this year’s Ramadan such as going to the mosque or going out to eat with friends. Due to that, there are a lot of people who switched up their routines so that it would be easier to keep up with at home. Junior, Tarek Dalgamoni, and his family changed their routine only slightly and found ways to make Ramadan enjoyable during this quarantine. 

“Since the mosques are closed, my family and I pray Taraweeh at home. What makes this better though is that since we have a lot of time while we’re at home. My mom has made a lot of Arabic sweets that I enjoy a lot. I do miss the things I could be doing right now, but I’m fine with how this is going,” stated Dalgamoni. 

Usually, Ramadan is seen by most Muslims as a time for the community to reconnect as a whole, from the wide range of various online group chats to the big groups that are spotted gathering for meals out on the town. Freshman, Marwan Saed, wants quarantine to be over so that he’ll have the opportunity to be with his friends. 

“What I looked forward to the most during Ramadan was spending time with some of the people I don’t get to talk to throughout the year. I always have the most fun during this time of year and the fact that the mosques are closed really hurts because I just wanted to be out in the crowd. Ramadan is the time I hang out with people, so I really wish that this would be over,” stated Saed.

By the end of Ramadan, people usually feel cleansed and calm. Sophomore, Ali Al-Hussain, enjoys fasting and feels like it makes him feel clean. 

“Personally, my favorite thing about Ramadan is fasting all together. It helps me learn self control and honestly it’s just fun. There will be times where I fast just for fun. It really does help me feel good as a person,” stated Al-Hussain. 

With quarantine shutting down the mosques, many Muslim families have changed their routines to fit the new schedule regarding Ramadan. To them, this is something very important and they hope that the mosques will open soon, so they can celebrate in their traditional ways.