Faith can be an important aspect of a student’s life so rather than missing class time by leaving campus, Muslim students are reading the Friday afternoon Jummah prayer in an empty classroom during lunch. 

“There are five prayers that Muslims have to do every single day, and Jummah is the second prayer of Friday that we have to do,” Treasury Officer of the Muslim Student Association, junior Ifrah Zainab said. “Friday’s are sort of a holy day, out of the whole week, and so that’s why we do it on Fridays. You pray two Rakat, and there’s also a short sermon called a khutbah prior to the prayer. We also pray it in c-hall.” 

The adhan, or call to prayer, is student-based with different male students delivering the weekly lecture and leading the prayer. 

“For us, our prayers are a huge part of our religion, it is a mandatory part of it,” Secretary of the  Muslim Student Association, senior Isra Mohammed said. “I think that the school just making room for us to practice our religion, even in like 30 minutes, we know that we have the administrations and faculty backing in our own decisions when it comes to religious freedom.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education, any religious student is allowed to practice religious activities when they are not taking part in school activities. 

“Islam to me is a clear guide on the values and path that my life should generally follow,” Mohammed said. “Whether it comes to morals or specific ritualistic practices, Islam sort of gives me a guideline to my life that without it, I just would be so lost and clueless without.” 

One of the five major Islamic values includes performing daily prayers and it’s mandatory that Muslims do not miss the prayers if they have the opportunity to read them. 

“I think that it shows respect for religiosity,” Zainab said. “Having an outlet for Muslim kids to be able to do something that is very important to their faith, it’s just respectful. And it helps them get that done so they don’t miss it. 

Allowing Muslim students a place to read the mandatory prayer helps them fulfill their religious duties. 

“I think that it is important to allow kids who are Muslim to be able to do what they need to on a day, especially Friday, in order to be respectful,” sophomore Tayyaba Mazhar said. 

Muslims view Friday as the holiest day of the week and the Jummah prayer being read-only on Friday contributes to its importance and necessity of being read. 

“I guess it also just gives purpose to your life,” Zainab said. “You’re always working toward a greater goal and making the right decision.”