Mindful of our many Muslim friends who are faculty, staff and students at St. Thomas, Campus Ministry notes that the holy month of Ramadan starts on Wednesday, Aug. 11. Ramadan will continue through approximately Sept. 10, when the month ends with the holiest Muslim religious holiday, Eid ul-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 Muslim theologian 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 ul-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 faculty, staff and students who are Muslim and invites all to make use of the Meditation Room located in Room 151A, Murray-Herrick Campus Center, and the Minneapolis campus Meditation Room located on the second floor of the School of Law. The former faculty-staff dining room, Murray-Herrick Campus Center, also will be available to students in late August after the athletic staff moves out of that area; 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 e-mail or call me in Campus Ministry, (651) 962-6562.
Finally, all are invited to pray for our brothers and sisters as they commemorate their holy feasts.