Ramadan is a magical month for Muslims around the world to double down on prayer, self-reformation, and reflection for 29 to 30 days. But for many in school, it also becomes a precarious balancing act: where do you place more attention, deen (faith) or dunya (world)?
Ramadan is the ninth of 12 months in the Islamic calendar, which follows a lunar cycle. During this period, Muslims are instructed to fast from sunrise until sunset, meaning no consumption of food or water for the length of time. As Ramadan 2025 aligns with the Gregorian month of March, fasts last about 13 hours on average.
The practice of abstaining from eating isn’t the only thing Ramadan is about; becoming more punctual in prayer, restraining oneself from impious emotions (like anger and jealousy) and spending more time in the remembrance of God (in Islam, known as Allah) is emphasized.
The Quran, a Muslim holy book, was revealed to the Prophet of Islam during Ramadan. As a result, many Muslims find it an immensely blessed task to complete a full recitation of the Holy Quran within the month of Ramadan (this is not mandatory, though). With the book containing 114 chapters and more than 6,000 verses, this is an arduous but rewarding task that Muslims commit themselves to.
For students, Ramadan often passes in a time of academic hardship. Several readings are assigned per week, tests to prepare for and take, and assignments to hand in. A compromise is sometimes felt to be made: either Muslim students should focus on school and put faith on the back burner or vice versa.
It can be hard, waking up in the morning for the pre-dawn meal, not having time to sleep afterwards, and having to commute to school. Then, spending an entire day on an empty stomach and trying to pay attention in class can be dreary. The wafting smells of food that wouldn’t be appetizing on a normal day seem to arise from every corner. And rushing to catch a train and get home to break the fast with the iftar meal could be its own Olympics category. In between, hitting all the times for prayer is a struggle of its own.
These challenges, as a result of the Western world’s lack of accommodation or leniency around Islamic teachings, are endured by Muslim students who demonstrate patience and remarkable strength. We fast and take part in the observation of Ramadan because we hope to improve ourselves through it. This month of heightened spirituality and connection is too great of an opportunity to let up.
But Muslim students might feel upset that because of their school commitments, they’re not always experiencing Ramadan to its fullest. Amidst anxiety, though, Muslim students have much to be thankful for: commuting allows time to listen to faith-based podcasts or read the Holy Quran, prayer rooms on campus create a space to retreat from the world and connect with God and friends on campus, whether they’re fasting or not, keep us going with their support and understanding.
It’s important for Muslim students who feel as though they’re falling behind in Ramadan to remember that education is also an utmost commandment of Islam. Keeping up with school while fasting is a task that will not go unnoticed by Allah.
Even if the Western world isn’t always accommodating of the practices of Islam, Muslim students are doing their best to balance faith and school. Some leniency from the school community would help. Still, their belief that no effort in God’s way goes unrewarded is the greatest fuel of all.