The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and commemorates the first revelation of God to the Prophet Mohammad for the Muslim community. The fasting of the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Muslim faith, and observant Muslims will not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset during the month, which is from the sighting of one crescent moon to the next. This is a season of reflection, contemplation, and empathy; the act of fasting during the month of Ramadan is to redirect one’s attention from earthly self-centered things to an awareness and commitment to higher ideals and purposes. The holy month also includes additional attention to one’s prayer life and the recitation of the Qur'an. 

The gathering for fast breaking each night during the month of Ramadan, iftars, is a significant moment of community connection and joy. Traditionally dates are eaten at the breaking of the fast each night before prayers, commemorating the Prophet Mohammad’s practice of breaking the fast by eating three dates. The struggle of the fast, therefore, is complimented by the celebration of sharing a meal with others. 

For most Muslims, the month of Ramadan begins this year on Sunday, March 10 and ends on April 9.

Each person engages their religious life and the challenges of fasting differently. The Office of the University Chaplain with Kay Spiritual Life Center has helped coordinate the following resources for prayer and fast-breaking:

• Extended Building Hours
• Break-fast Basket
• Additional Prayer Locations
• University Chaplain-sponsored KSLC Iftars
• Donate: Faculty, Staff, and Students Iftar
• Dining
• Muslim Student Association
• Academic Accomodations
• Center for Teaching, Research & Learning (CTRL)
   

Extended Building Hours

The Kay Spiritual Life Center building will be open extended hours during the month of Ramadan to provide access prior to the sunrise and after sunset. 
Extended hours: 5am- 11pm.

The Muslim Prayer Room is located in the lower level of Kay Spiritual Life Center.

Break-fast Basket

Throughout the month of Ramadan, there will be a rotating assortment of snacks, dates, and beverages for the Muslim community to enjoy at the conclusion of the fasting period available in KSLC. These should provide enough sustenance to hold people over until they get to other dining options.
Location: Outside the Muslim Prayer Room, KSLC

Additional Prayer Locations

• Spring Valley: First floor reflection space
  • Available for community members with a snack basket for fast breaking
• WCL: Faculty/Staff Lounge
  • Designated for evening prayers and fast breaking with food available
  • Grab and go food made available for students to eat after sunset
  • WCL Iftar scheduled for March 18th

University Chaplain-sponsored KSLC Iftars

The Office of the University Chaplain hosts one iftar a week at Kay Spiritual Life Center:

• Thursday, March 21: Fast-a-thon and Inter-belief Iftar
  • Fast-a-thon: fasting is an integral part of many religious traditions. Participants pledge to fast for the day and then donate the money they would have spent on food. At the end of the day of fasting, everyone comes together to break the fast and reflect on their experiences as a community.
  • All proceeds will go to The Market: AU's Food Pantry. Donate here.
  • RSVP on Engage.
• Friday, March 29: InTRA-belief Iftar 
• Friday, April 5: Iftar Under the Stars 
• Monday, April 8: Final Iftar: Rest and Reflection

Donate: Faculty, Staff, Students Iftar

Kay Spiritual Life Center helps collect donations to fund a Faculty, Staff, and Students Iftar. Please donate here.

Dining

AU Kitchen works hard to provide nutritious meals before sunrise and after sunset.

• Suhur meals that can be picked up the night before in TDR or the C-stores via purchase at $14.19 or meal exchange.
• Iftar and Suhur meals through Halal Shack via purchase or meal exchange, and C-stores will have available grab-and-go items for pickup
• Hours of Operations:
  • Halal Shack and Baba’s Pizza: Sunday through Thursday 11 am-9 pm
  • Special Hours for Halal Shack: Friday & Saturday 11 am-9 pm
• TDR will showcase iftar menus throughout Ramadan

Questions? Email our campus dietitian Taylor at tguskind@american.edu.

Muslim Student Association

The Muslim Student Association at American University coordinates with other offices and organizations to fund iftars throughout the month of Ramadan. Follow @au.msa to stay up to date on the daily events.

Academic Accomodations

For academic accommodation requests, students should seek to make arrangements with the appropriate professors first at the earliest opportunity. The Office of the University Chaplain has communicated to the faculty via the Provost’s office a list of major religious holy days that may qualify for accomodation. Students must seek to make arrangements with the appropriate University office first, contacting professors, residential life, or dining services. If that effort fails or if the particular University office has questions, students may then submit an online request for reasonable religious accommodations. If the request is associated with employment (e.g. staff, faculty, RA, student employee), please see the HR Reasonable Accommodations Request Form.

Center for Teaching, Research & Learning (CTRL)

The Center for Teaching, Research & Learning (CTRL) has created the resource, "Supporting Students During Ramadan", to help professors understand the intention of Ramadan, how observing Ramadan impacts students' ability to engage in coursework, and how they can be supportive, flexible, and inclusive during this time.