As we enter the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims worldwide prepare to engage in their religious observances. Ramadan, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is a time of fasting, prayer, self-reflection, and community for Muslims everywhere.
For Muslim students, particularly those at Mount Kigali University, the challenge lies in balancing their religious practices with their academic responsibilities. With the dawn-to-dusk fasting and heightened spiritual commitments, these students encounter unique hurdles in maintaining their academic performance during this sacred period.
Speaking with several students at the university, many expressed their determination to strike a balance between their studies and observing Ramadan.
“In the month of Ramadan, we prioritize our acts of worship because it’s a time of mercy and blessings. However, our classes are crucial, and we strive to find additional time for Ibdah (worship),” said Mayda Shaban.
Trying to create a proper balance sometimes comes with challenges for students. “The most significant challenge for students during Ramadan, and even afterwards, is ensuring timely performance of all daily prayers. Scheduled classes sometimes coincide with prayer times, making it difficult to pray on time or breakfast promptly.” Charfadine Hassan
For students enrolled in evening programs, managing schedules becomes even more daunting. Fatime Badjouri shared her experience, saying, ” It is hard for an evening student to manage their schedule because both the time for iftaar and time for prayers (Maghrib and Ishaa) reach when we are still in class and it is not easy to get out of class and go buy some food outside, so if we had like water to help break our fast and offered a short period to go to university mosque and pray, it would help a lot.”
Despite these challenges, Mount Kigali University fosters a supportive environment for its Muslim students during Ramadan. Ibrahim Kamanzi elaborated on various activities organized within the university community to enhance the Ramadan experience.
“We have activities we do within and out of the university like sharing Iftaar here on campus where we all meet and share iftar and pray together. We also have a Quran teaching program where we teach each other the Quran not only in the month of Ramadan but we do it more often in Ramadan because it is a special month and we are required to read more Quran in it.
Another activity is of course our monthly hospital visit and we provide iftaar for families in need during this sacred month of Ramadan.” said Kamanzi.
The student body of Mount Kigali University is widely recognized for its diversity, including individuals from a range of cultural origins and religious affiliations.
The institution has continuously exhibited its dedication to assisting students of all religions by offering specific areas for prayer in addition to other necessary resources catered to their needs.
