Ramadan is a holy month of intense spiritual rejuvenation which includes fasting, worship, service, communal gathering, and spiritual development. Islam follows the lunar calendar. The ninth month may therefore fall on different dates each year. Ramadan begins with the sighting of the crescent moon over Mecca which is expected to occur on March 22. The month is expected to conclude on April 21, with Eid al Fitr<\/em><\/strong> to be celebrated April 21 through April 22. As Ramadan is marked by the lunar sighting, dates may change.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fasting is an important part of Ramadan, believed to draw followers closer to God and cultivate self-control, gratitude, and compassion for those less fortunate. Traditionally, fasting means abstaining from food or drink (including water) from dawn until dusk. However, many people are exempt from fasting or choose not to fast for health and personal reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many Musims will wake before sunrise to eat a modest breakfast called Suhoor\/suhur<\/em><\/strong>, followed by prayer. The evenings are an important time of gathering for prayer and to break fast together for a meal known as Iftar<\/em><\/strong>. In addition to the five daily prayers that are part of the core of Islam, Muslims recite a special prayer called the Tarawih<\/em><\/strong> prayer (night prayer). Throughout the month, many observers read the entire Quran<\/em><\/strong> one chapter at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The MSA student group is coordinating Iftars and several community gatherings in the month of Ramadan, for more information you can join the MSA listserv<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Muslim Student Association and Dining Conferences and Campus Events are coordinating nightly Iftar meals for prayer and dinner, 6-8 in Commons room 226. Suhoor\/Suhur pre-dawn meals will be available for students to take back to their residence the evening before in Commons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Prayer Room with mats will be available in Ladd Library in Viewing Room 1 of the Audio\/Visual area; please see attendant for a key. The Muslim Prayer Room is also always available at 96 Campus Avenue on the ground floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Muslim Student Association is coordinating a Ramadan Banquet in Mays Center at 7 p.m. on April 8th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the semester, students gather at 12:20 p.m. every Friday behind Chu Hall and travel together to the Lewiston\/Auburn Islamic Center for prayer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Where possible we should try to accommodate our Muslim community members who request more time for prayer and reflection, and who may experience lower levels of energy and focus during the late afternoon, especially toward the end of Ramadan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some things to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two traditional greetings to wish someone well that is observing Ramadan, \u201cRamadan Mubarak\u201d and \u201cRamadan Kareem,\u201d which roughly translate to \u201chave a generous Ramadan\u201d and \u201cblessed Ramadan,\u201d respectively. At the conclusion of Ramadan, during Eid al Fitr, the greeting changes to \u201cEid Mabarak.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What and when is Ramadan Ramadan is a holy month of intense…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":837,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"bates_author_byline_override":"","_hide_page_title":false,"_header_override":"","_template_width_override":"","_dimp_site_id":"","_dimp_override_contact":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"_sidebarChoice":"","footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"class_list":["post-7592","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/multifaith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/multifaith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/multifaith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/multifaith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/837"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/multifaith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7592"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/multifaith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7619,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/multifaith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7592\/revisions\/7619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/multifaith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fasting and Prayer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Campus Resources and Celebrations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Muslim Student Association<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Dining<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Prayer<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Ramadan Banquet: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Local Mosques and Community Events<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Requests for Flexibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Can I wish someone a Happy Ramadan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n