Ramadan is a special time for families to come together and share iftar, suhoor, and prayer together.
This year, however, Ramadan comes during the spring classes, forcing many Muslim students to spend the month alone.
Trying to give students a sense of community, three Harvard Muslim students cook weekly suhoor meals for Harvard affiliates throughout the month of Ramadan, The Harvard Crimson reported.
Because “community is very central to Ramadan”, Iqra Noor ’23, Reem Khalid Ali ’23, and Sadia M. Laisa ’23, three undergraduate students at Leverett House, wanted to make sure students share meals together.
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“We start preparing food starting at 11 p.m. on Friday nights until the mealtime, which is around 4 a.m.,” Noor said.
“This is honestly the only all-nighter I would pull any day.”
Sharing Ramadan
During Ramadan, Harvard Muslim students, faculty, and other affiliates break the fast at school-sponsored meals at the Student Organization Center at Hilles (SOCH).
Maryam S.K. Tourk ’25, co-president of the Harvard Islamic Society, said she feels “really grateful” for the nightly gatherings at the SOCH.
“Ramadan is a very communal time, and being separated from that community can be really hard,” Tourk said.
“It’s a really cool time where the SOCH kind of turns into a Muslim community hub, where there’s Muslim students from all the different Harvard schools.”
Hasan S. Quadri ’25, the other Harvard Islamic Society co-president, said Ramadan is marked by “community interwoven with individual self-reflection.”
“I know for many students, this is the first time that they may be practicing away from home,” Quadri said. “So to be able to have an individual celebration, in addition to the community, is fantastic.”
Nurayn Y. Khan ’26, an attendee of the Leverett House suhoor, praised Noor, Ali, and Laisa’s work in preparing suhoor throughout Ramadan.
“I think Ramadan is all about being with the community and uplifting each other — and I think those three girls, they do such a good job of doing that,” Khan said.
“They really, really put in the work — like they will be cooking all night, and they have so many people who come and the food is honestly amazing.”