Over 500 community members gathered at the Old Union Courtyard Friday to break fast in an open Iftar hosted by the Muslim Student Union (MSU) and cosponsored by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL).

“Not being able to celebrate with family and loved ones is hard,” MSU Social Justice Coordinator Baraa Abdelghne ’27 said. “But everyone going through the same struggle [through fasting] makes us a stronger community.”

Iftar is the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan, the month in which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, focus on increased prayer and charity, engage in spiritual reflection and bond with their community. In the Islamic tradition, Ramadan is the month in which the Quran —Islam’s sacred text— was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims regard its annual observance as one of the Five Pillars of their faith.

In observance of Ramadan, MSU has hosted iftars and Taraweeh prayers — night prayers involving recitations of the Quran — every night since Ramadan began on Feb. 28, with funding assistance from the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) and help from Muslim and non-Muslim volunteers alike. The volunteers set up tables and prayer tarps, welcomed speakers and organized food orders. 

Volunteers also raised funds to aid civilians affected by the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Israel-Gaza war and the Syrian civil war between government security forces and supporters of ousted former President Bashar al-Assad.

The open Iftar event began at 5 p.m. and was followed by introductory remarks and a Quran reading at 5:30 p.m. After a recitation of the Maghrib prayer, the fourth of five daily prayers in Islam that take place after sunset, the attendees enjoyed a dinner of burgers and fries.

Abdelghne recited the Dua — the supplication that asks Allah for help, guidance or mercy — at the open Iftar and led fundraising efforts. He said that the MSU provides Suhoor (pre-fast) and Iftar meals for almost 300 students every night and credited the MSU with creating opportunities for Muslims at Stanford to build community.

MSU Public Relations Co-Director Ameera Eshtewi ’27 echoed Abdelghneand, saying that Ramadan has brought her and those in the Muslim community closer to their faith. Eshtewi facilitates communications efforts for the Ramadan Core Committee, sending daily morning announcements to MSU members on prayer times and menu items through newsletters, WhatsApp messages and Instagram. 

Eshtewi also created an initiative called “Ramadan Around The World,” in which she highlights Ramadan messages from the countries of every MSU member to showcase the diversity within the organization. Eshtewi hopes this initiative will allow MSU members to learn more about the global Muslim diaspora.

Owen Martin ’28, an MSU frosh Intern who helped set up the open Iftar, said Ramadan was a way to “spiritually retreat” from the “hustle” of everyday life and focus on one’s religion and roots, though he added that doing so can sometimes be challenging. Martin said that during the Ramadan month, he stays up late at night to study but spends the morning taking naps, resting and taking things slow — apart from going to class to pray — and fasts from sunrise to sunset.

The attendees gathered for one last prayer at 8 p.m., performing the Isha — the fifth daily prayer that takes place in the evening — and Taraweeh.

While many attendees at the open Iftar were Muslim students like Abdelghne, Eshtewi and Martin, non-Muslims also joined the dinner to experience Ramadan. Attendees were not required to fast, with the MSU inviting all students to “just come with an open heart and big appetite” via their Instagram post.

Having attended international schools, Betty Yao-Lu ’28 had attended Ramadan events with her Muslim friends from high school. However, Yao-Lu said that Stanford’s open Iftar was much larger than the Ramadan events she had attended in the past.

Sasha Zhang ’28, on the other hand, came to the open Iftar not knowing much about Ramadan and wanting to learn more.

Jorge Ramos ’28, a non-Muslim student, accompanied his best friend and roommate Morteza Ehsani ’28, a Muslim student, to the open Iftar, marking his first experience of Ramadan.

“I love seeing this aspect of [Ehsani’s] identity, and everyone has been super welcoming,” Ramos said. “I’ll definitely be coming to more Ramadan events in the future.”