From sunrise to sunset they fast. 

From April 1, 2022 to May 1, 2022 junior Fatimah Salman observed Ramadan. Ramadan is a month in the Islam religion in which Muslims fast, pray and focus on serving others.

“We believe that Ramadan is the month when Muslims work toward making their bond stronger with God. In this month, we get the chance to get closer to God and to show our faith in him,” Salman said.

The fasting portion of Ramadan required Salman to abstain from drinking or eating anything from sunrise to sunset, everyday, for thirty days.

“Ramadan didn’t affect my performance in school. I’m kind of used to it because I’ve been practicing it since I was young and it became part of me and my life. Ramadan is there to make us feel better and not make us feel worse. It’s there to make us feel for others who don’t have food to eat. Fasting is there to teach us patience and [in the Qur’an] Allah said ‘And be patient. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient’,” Salman said.

In addition to the month of Ramadan, the Islam religion has a variety of different beliefs and practices Muslims must perform. 

“In Islam, we have a lot of different beliefs and practices. One of these practices is praying daily. In Islam we have to pray five times a day because we believe in these prayers we’re meeting with God, Allah, and we get the chance to communicate and ask for our wishes. These prayers are there for us to feel better and to add more peace to our life,” Salman said.

Salman has practiced Islam her whole life. She loves the guidance it gives her in her everyday life.

“Islam is my favorite thing. It leads me to the right pathway. It also adds to my confidence and braveness,” Salman said.

Despite having practiced the Islam religion her entire life, Salman believes her faith as a Muslim has strengthened in recent years.

“Over the past couple of years, I have grown my faith by getting attached to the daily five prayers, fasting and reading the Qur’an more often,” Salman said. “I hope to grow my faith in the future by doing more research about my religion and the Qur’an. I believe there are a lot of other things in the Qur’an that I still haven’t discovered [that] I would love to [learn about].”

A major step in her religion for Salman was her decision to wear a hijab. A hijab is a head covering worn by a Muslim woman, it represents modesty and privacy. 

“I started wearing the hijab when I was in seventh grade. It was the first day of Ramadan. I decided to wear the hijab after a deep study of my religion. In our Holy Qur’an, the hijab is a requirement, but not by force. You can wear it whenever you feel you’re ready for it and believe that’s the right decision. After wearing it, I felt I was representing my religion and beliefs. After all, the hijab is part of me now,” Salman said.

In recent years, there has been controversy surrounding the wearing of a hijab. According to Salman, a major misconception about the Islam religion is that there is an unfair treatment of women.

“The biggest misunderstanding about Islam is that most people think women are treated badly [or] unfairly. That’s not true. There’s a part [in the Qur’an] that I read, it says, ‘Islam is perfect, but Muslims are not.’ There’s a whole verse, Ayah, about women in the Qur’an. Women in Islam have their rights and [anyone who] hurts them mentally or physically will get punished in this world and the after. Islam gives women their rights and they have the right to make their own choices,” Salman said.

Salman is proud to be Muslim and believes the Islam religion exists to better the lives of individuals.

“Islam is mostly about faith, patience, peace, and equality. Islam never forces anyone to do something out of their will, [in fact], most practices we do are there to prevent us from bad things that can happen in our life. Equality is there for both genders. Islam prevents us from what affects us mentally and physically in a bad way. The Qur’an has all the information that Muslims need to live peacefully,” Salman said.