Mindful of the many Muslims who are students, faculty and staff at St. Thomas, Campus Ministry announces the start of the holy month of Ramadan on Saturday, Aug. 22. Ramadan will continue through approximately Monday, Sept. 21, when the month ends with the holiest Muslim holiday, Eid al Fitr.
The university community is asked to be mindful that Muslims abstain from all food and drink from the first moment of dawn to sunset during Ramadan.
According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Ramadan “is when the Quran first descended on the soul of the Prophet, during the night called the ‘Night of Power’ (laylat al-qadr). It is therefore a very blessed month during which much time is given to prayer and recitation of the Quran. The month ends with the greatest Muslim religious holiday, the Eid al Fitr, which is celebrated for several days in most countries. The formal end of the month of fasting comes with the congregational prayers of the id, after which a sum of money equal to the cost of all the meals not eaten by oneself and one’s family during the month is usually given to the poor." (Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization, 94)
Campus Ministry welcomes all students, faculty and staff who are Muslim and invites all to make use of the Meditation Room, Room 151a, Murray-Herrick Campus Center, and the meditation room located on the second floor of the Minneapolis campus Law School; furthermore, students who participate in Food Service meal plans may arrange to have a box lunch available each day for pick-up by visiting the Card Office, Room 259, Murray-Herrick Campus Center.
For more information and further support, all are welcome to contact Don Beyers, (651) 962-6562, assistant director of Campus Ministry.
“Finally,” Beyers noted, “all are invited to pray for our brothers and sisters as they commemorate their holy feasts.”
