As Ramadan comes to end on May 12 and Eid approaches, many Muslim students and families cherish the remaining 10 days of fasting.  

It’s within the last 10 days that the first verses of the Quran were originally revealed to the prophet Muhammad PBUH. The night is mentioned in the Quran and is called Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power).

“This night (Laylatul Qadr) is believed to be the most beloved and most important night of the year,” Freshman Zikra Muhammad said via email. “Although we don’t  know the specific date, we know that it occurs sometime in the last 10 nights, which is another reason why they are so beloved.”

Ramadan is a month of spiritual cleansing and purification for Muslims in which they try to increase worship, good deeds and acts of charity. Busy highschool schedules and huge amounts of homework has made acts of worship difficult for students.

“School has made it tough to do acts of worship because of the times not aligning,” freshman Shifa Shaikh said via email. “I make the most of this by trying to pray as much as possible at the mosque but leave early so I am not tired during school hours.”

Senior Sarah Ahmed shares how she thinks students in school should participate in acts of worship while having several exams.

“I think even in general with exams, students have to find balance between studying and maintaining the rest of their life,” Ahmed said via email. “That being said, creating a schedule could be beneficial or even participating in worship with your family because that would force one to actually stop their studying and not just put the rest of their life off.”

In order to make it easier for fasting students, freshman Mehr Hameed suggests that schools make changes to accommodate. 

“Schools should keep in mind the struggles of students especially during evening classes when they are typically really tired and dehydrated,” Hameed said. “For example, being exempt from PE and providing prayer rooms for kids is really important.”

After the last 10 days of Ramadan, a celebration of three days called Eid al-Fitr is celebrated. As the second most prominent religion in the world, students provide their views on why there should be a holiday for Islam on Eid.

“There are numerous other holidays from other religions that are given time off,” freshman Zikra Muhammad said via email. “Despite being such a huge religion, people don’t know much about Islamic holidays. There are many people all over America who are forced to come to school or have to take an absence just because administrations refuse to identify Eid as a holiday. Eid is one of the happiest days of the year for many Muslims  and we are not able to have the same joy because school consistently gets in the way.”