Blog: My day in the life as a student during Ramadan

Written by Student Content Shaper, Hanna Khalil

Asalaam wa Aalaikum! (a traditional greeting in Arabic meaning ‘may peace be upon you’). My name is Hanna, and I’m a Student Content Shaper who is observing Ramadan.

For Muslims worldwide, Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, and it’s the most holy and blessed month of the year. It’s believed that it was during this month that the first revelations of the Qur’an (the sacred text of Islam) were revealed. Therefore, it’s in this month that Muslims fast from dusk till dawn and focus on becoming better Muslims, though,  for example, leaving bad habits behind, reading more of the Qur’an, and charitable acts to those less fortunate.  

Ramadan can be a rewarding yet challenging time, especially as it requires some adjustments. Whether you’re observing or intrigued, I thought I'd share one of my days as a uni student observing this holy month.  

Suhoor (04:00) 

I started my day with ‘suhoor’ which is the meal before ‘Fajr’, the first prayer of the day when the sun rises. I use an app called Muslim Pro to check what time each prayer starts and this day it was 04:40. For suhoor, I eat a meal that is quick and easy to prepare as well as filling. My top suhoor breakfasts are: 

1. Eggs and cereal with fruit and dates.

2. Avocado on toast with dates.

3. Avocado and egg wrap with dates. 

You may notice dates are included in every meal option. Besides being absolutely delicious, dates have an Islamic significance too. Dates are mentioned repeatedly in the Qur'an (the Muslim Holy Book) as having multiple benefits. For this reason, as well as being specifically referred to as the most ideal way to open your fast by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the final messenger of Islam, dates are a common ingredient in many people’s diets during Ramadan. 

It’s also incredibly important to drink water. Personally, I eat my meal first and then drink water because if I do the reverse, I find I lose my appetite. Breakfast is followed by the Fajr prayer, and then I headed back to sleep. It’s always nicer to experience suhoor with friends or family, so if you have Muslim housemates, try to arrange waking up at the same time so you can experience suhoor together. Alternatively, you could Facetime your friends or family during suhoor too.  

Reading the Qur’an (10:00) 

After a much-needed lie-in, I began my day properly at 10:00. I did some studying before my 12:00 lecture, and then read a couple of pages of the Qur’an - reading the Qur’an during Ramadan grants Muslims great blessings.  

Balancing studies as well as reading the Qur’an can pose a challenge. To overcome this, you could try to prioritise an hour each day to read the Qur’an or aim to read a certain number of pages every day. My goal this Ramadan is to read the Qur’an more than I did last Ramadan. 

Prayer (14:00)  

After my lecture, I headed back home in time for ‘Duhr’, the second prayer of the day. I made dua (calling out to God for guidance or to ask something) and studied some more by going over previous lectures.  

Studying whilst fasting can sometimes be tricky for me as I don’t always have the energy to do so – but the grind continues! When I do study, I take extra breaks and space out the tasks: that afternoon I rewatched and made additional notes on a previous lecture, by taking a five -minute break every thirty minutes. I sometimes like to listen to background music when studying, so this Ramadan I replaced the background music with Qur’an recitations to try to gain extra good deeds. After, I prayed ‘Asr’, the third prayer of the day, I then began getting ready for the annual Community Iftar on campus, hosted by UoB’s Islamic Society.

Maghrib (18:00) 

At 18:17 it was Maghrib, the fourth prayer of the day and the time where the day’s fast is broken. Usually, you’d open your fast by eating a date and then pray. The first bite of a date after fasting is such a beautiful and unbeatable feeling!  

I prayed Maghrib outside at Chancellor’s Court with my Muslim brothers and sisters (a beautiful experience), then we all headed to Aston Webb and ate ‘iftar’ (evening meal to break your fast) in the Great Hall. The volunteers and I gave out food and water to those waiting for their meals – I love volunteering as it’s a great way to give back and be charitable.  

Once all the food was given out, I went to eat iftar with my friends, then headed back outside for evening desserts at Chancellor’s Court. The Community Iftar was super wholesome and made a lovely evening – I definitely recommend going next year Insha’Allah (God willing)! 

Closing off the day and looking forward to tomorrow (21:00)  

I arrived back home from the event and went to pray ‘Isha’, the fifth and final prayer of the day, then chilled for the rest of the night. before getting ready for bed and look forwarding to another day of this blessed month.  

That concludes a day in my life during Ramadan! I hope you enjoyed this little insight on Ramadan, and how to balance your studies if you’re fasting. 

If you've enjoyed reading Hanna's blog, why not check out the following blogs written by our students observing Ramadan: 

• Salimah, a second-year Medicine student and a member of UoB's Islamic Society guides you through all you need to know about Ramadan and how to get involved. Hear from Salimah. 

• Ramadan is a time with plenty of spiritual and mental perks. Our Student Content Shaper, Fatema, shares tips for supporting peers during the month and reflects on what Ramadan means to her. Read Fatema’s blog.