How does a U of T student juggle studies with spirituality? This is the dilemma most Muslim students are faced with during the month of fasting known as Ramadan.
I find it is better not to juggle anything, and just give everything its due time. Most people find Ramadan to be their peak studying time: no one-hour lunches, no idle talk, and no extra trips to Tim Hortons. The Muslims that make the extra effort to offer their prayers on time find themselves on schedule for everything else. Call it divine intervention.
Ramadan is a super-sized family event: imagine having Christmas dinner every day for a month! Students do feel the sting of not being able to end fasts at home due to late classes, but fortunately Muslim Student organizations on campus do arrange frequent dinners to make up for it. Prayer accommodations are by far the greatest achievements of such groups.
Fasting isn’t possible for all students. It is physically demanding to fast on campus. With the runs between classes, libraries, and prayer centers, it can be exhausting.
Those who are able to overcome spiritual hurdles and make positive changes within themselves look forward to seeing another Ramadan. Those who are unable to benefit from its spiritual fruits feel a bitter sense of loss.
Ramadan gives Muslims a window through which to see God in a new light. Each Ramadan that passes serves as a stepping stone in their spiritual journey. God knows how many such months are allotted to each person. Spiritual obligations cannot be forgotten during the four or five years signed off to university.
Peace be upon you U of T!
