Hawzah News Agency (Penn, US) –For the first time in about a decade, the month-long Islamic holiday of Ramadan will take place during finals week at Penn. From May 5 to June 4, Muslim students at Penn will fast from sunrise to sunset each day, and will have to balance their schoolwork with their religious observance.

During Ramadan, Muslim people are highly encouraged to read the Quran as much as possible and to reflect on religious scriptures, which students say can be difficult to balance with the stress of finals week.

“Sometimes you feel because you are studying, because you are investing so much time and making sure that you are doing well in your papers and your exams, that you are losing on the other end of not really partaking in those spiritual activities,” former Muslim Students' Association President and College senior Zahraa Mohammed said. “So it’s just trying to find a balance of how to satisfy both ends.”

MSA Programs Chair and Wharton sophomore Ryanne Fadel said Ramadan this year marks a time when two difficult things — his dedication to God and his grades — have to be prioritized.

One of Fadel's professors approached Fadel and told him it was possible for him to take his final exam earlier. Although Fadel said studying for the exam will be manageable and he turned it down, he felt appreciative that the professor came to him individually to offer an alternative option.

Fadel said he is planning to study during the day and set aside some time at night for prayers.

Ramadan this year marks the first time since about a decade ago when the holiday coincided with the school year, University Chaplain Charles Howard said, and for the next 25 years, Ramadan will coincide with the school year.

As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, Ramadan occurs during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar when Muslims observe a month-long fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to the prophet Muhammad. Each year, the holiday

End.