The University of Manitoba Muslim Students’ Association (UMMSA) is marking Ramadan by providing over 8,000 meals to students, assisting followers of the Islamic faith to observe the holy month.
Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as it is believed that the Quran — the holy book — was revealed to the Islamic Prophet during this time, according to Faisal Shamim Zahed, UMMSA internal relations manager.
As obligated in the Quran, Zahed explained that Muslims fast during this period which spans the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, lasting either 29 or 30 days depending on the crescent sighting of the moon.
This year, Ramadan started on Friday, Feb. 28.
Bareera Kamran, UMMSA student life manager, stated that “one of the biggest reasons […] to fast is just to feel compassion for people who have these circumstances all year round, people who don’t get to eat or drink because of poverty or other reasons.”
Zahed added that the purpose of Ramadan can be defined with two Arabic terms — taqwa, meaning “god conscious” and shukr, “being grateful” to God.
UMMSA president Ayesha Sultan said, “[Ramadan] is not only the fasting from food, but it is practicing your religion as well, more effectively, and showing the world how we can be more disciplined.”
“It is being more mindful, it is being more grounded, it is more about being aware of what our religion is teaching us throughout the month.”
Fasting lasts from sunrise to sunset and also includes refraining from drinking beverages, a practice that has lasted for centuries during the holy month.
The Jumu’ah (Friday) prayer was held in the multipurpose room in UMSU University Centre on March 14, described as the largest prayer session on campus by UMMSA external relations manager Adil Hayat.
Free iftar and suhoor provided
As part of UMMSA’s efforts to facilitate with Ramadan, as done in previous years, free iftar is being provided in the campus mosque for all days along with suhoor during the final 10 days — key meals during Ramadan.
Suhoor is the meal eaten before the fast starts, prior to sunrise, whereas iftar is the meal consumed at sunset during the Maghrib prayer — the fourth of the five daily prayers — to break the fast.
Adil Hayat, UMMSA external relations manager, said that free suhoor is not provided every day during Ramadan because of funding constraints.
“We’re one of the only universities in Canada that does iftar every single day,” he said.
Kamran explained that these meals can be “very different,” but specified that iftar is typically dates and water, followed by a larger meal.
The UMMSA is providing free iftar for each day during Ramadan. Photo by Zulkifl Rafah
“Muslims are so diverse and we come from so many backgrounds, so depending on your culture, your background, you would eat many different things,” she said.
Sultan stated that this initiative costs approximately $45,000, but mentioned that the UMMSA has received assistance through a GoFundMe donation campaign (now closed), personal cheques and donated cooked meals.
“The best part that came from that [GoFundMe] is not the money, but the community that came together and even decided to cook foods for us,” said Sultan.
“So many organizations came in and decided to chip in.”
Kamran stated that the free meals have to be “[capped] at a certain number of students,” with around 900 students actively involved in the prayers but a facility capacity of approximately 260 students.
“Our facility at the university currently does not accommodate for the number and volume of students that we have coming to partake in our prayer and activities,” she said.
“That is the biggest challenge that we are facing.”
Dates and water are typically consumed to break the fast, according to UMMSA student life manager
Bareera Kamran. Photo by Zulkifl Rafah
Prepping began ‘months prior,’ said Zahed
Zahed, who also serves as the UMMSA Ramadan manager, stated that prepping began approximately two months prior.
This included working on sponsorships, media promotions, deep cleaning and decorating the mosque.
“We have a lot of volunteers,” he said. “The backbone behind this operation is basically the volunteers.”
“My job is to work with the volunteers, and I am the witness that it is not possible without volunteers.”
Volunteer assistance is needed for set-up, cleanup and food distribution, said Zahed.
He added that “sometimes there are delays” and “shortages while serving,” and noted the importance of management in this role.
Zahed said that as Ramadan ends, volunteer hours are tabulated from the sign-up sheet, with top volunteers being invited to an appreciation dinner.
Left to right: UMMSA executives Nabiha Ameena, Bareera Kamran, Ayesha Sultan, Towhid Islam, Mahfuz Haque, Mahedi Hasan, Adil Hayat and Faisal Shamim Zahed. Photo by Milan Lukes
“We have a very diverse student body that partakes in our events,” said Kamran, who originally got involved with the UMMSA as a Ramadan volunteer.
“Wherever they stand with their religion, I want everybody to feel welcomed in this space and I want them to come back.”
To mark the end of Ramadan, a celebration — Eid al-Fitr — will occur in the multipurpose room of UMSU University Centre on March 30, according to Hayat.
The University of Manitoba Muslim Students’ Association facility is located at E3-160 EITC, 103 Dafoe Rd.
2025/03/20 — Video added to article
