With the month of Ramadan in full swing, here’s what USC students need to know if they’re interested in observing traditions of fasting, prayer and reflection.
During the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Muslims who observe the religious month fast, abstaining from food, drink and intercourse from dawn until sunset. They break this fast at the end of the day with prayer and a meal called an iftar. The entire Qur’an is also recited during special nightly prayers. Fasting serves as a way to bring them nearer to God, form spiritual discipline, and commemorate the Qur’an’s revelations. This year the fast is expected to last from the evening of February 28th to March 30th, according to Islamic Relief.
“You’re abstaining from a lot of things that people practice daily. It’s not just from food. You’re abstaining from your normal desires,” Waniya Hasan, a senior majoring in aerospace engineering and a member of the Muslim Student Union (MSU), said. “Also connecting to God — it’s a very beautiful month that I think even people who are not religious should participate in.”
The MSU is holding events throughout the month, including hosting 12 free iftars at the University Park Campus and four at the Health Science Campus for more than 160 students, according to the MSU Executive Board. The food will be catered by local halal vendors in Los Angeles, and members of the Muslim community from the greater L.A. area will be joining to pray Maghrib, the Islamic sunset prayer, and break their fasts.
“Tonight is actually our first one. We’ll do four days a week for every week, except for spring break. Always here at the [University Religious Center] courtyard,” said Zola Fruitwala, a senior studying pre-health and a MSU committee member.
In order to support students in their fast, the Everybody’s Kitchen dining hall also has suhoor to-go boxes available for pick up 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day until March 29, and then the USC Village Dining Hall will take over. Each box is available for one meal swipe, or $12.49 when paying with Dining Dollars. No prior sign-up is required, and students can ask at the cashier for the meals.
Suhoor is the meal eaten before dawn by Muslims fasting during Ramadan. The time of the Suhoor is determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, which differs from the Gregorian standard calendar year. This year the Suhoor will begin on the evening of February 28th and is expected to end on March 30th, depending on the moon, according to Islamic Relief.
“It’s very important to provide that community for people that might not think that a school like USC – with its history – would provide,” Hasan said. “That sense of community is something that many Islam students want, especially during a celebration like Ramadan.”
Fruitwala said the MSU replicates the feeling she had of celebrating Ramadan as a child.
“Growing up, we didn’t go to the mosque very often because there weren’t any in our area. We’d do stuff with our cousins, and that was always so much fun, but I had never done anything like that outside of my family. I experienced that here” said Fruitwala.
Fruitwala welcomes any students who are curious about Islam, or students looking to find community and relieve stress.
“Anybody here would be more than happy to talk to them. I met a girl last week who joined our halaqa, which is a lecture, and she really enjoyed it” said Fruitwala. “We have a lot of people who have come in and become Muslim while they were here.”
The end of the month for Muslims marks a celebration known as Eid al-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast.” USC is hosting a potluck to celebrate the end of the holy month held in the University Religious Center courtyard. 75% of Muslim students chose to stay on campus during Eid to participate, according to a 2024 poll by the MSU.
Fruitwala said the benefits of celebrating Ramadan are “so hard to put into words.”
“When we go to the mosque for our night prayer, you forget about everything else that’s bothering you, and you’re focused. That has always been such a calming, reassuring feeling,” Fruitwala said.