“ If I spent Eid at uni, something would be missing” | In Conversation with Arisa Fatima

Muslims worldwide are celebrating Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan , a month-long fast from sunrise to sunset. To continue Misc Blog's exploration of what this period is like for Muslim students, we spoke to Arisa Fatima, a first year orthoptics student at the University of Sheffield, about the new outlook she will have on Eid having been at university for Ramadan.

What role does your faith play in daily life?

We have five prayers which you have to structure your day around. They are a daily reminder of your faith and that you believe in God. Specifically as a Muslim woman and being a hijabi, [the hijab] is a visual representation of my faith. It always plays a role in my life, because I'm very aware that my actions will always be a representation of my faith and of Muslims.

This is your first Ramadan away from home. What has it been like?

I think that has been quite different, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. The main thing is that my family are a creature of habit, so there was a set routine for both meals. I'm so used to having them with my family and my mum would be the one to cook. Now I'm having to structure in the time to cook the meals before I eat them. Sehri has been a little bit harder because although the meal is at 5am I have to get up at 4am to make sure I have time to cook and eat. Also, I've been breaking fast with friends a lot which has helped not doing it alone.

Why is it important for you to go home for Eid?

I've always spent Eid with my family, but mostly Eid for me is a celebration of all our blessings and my family are definitely one of them. Going home to celebrate with my family means not only do I get to experience and partake in what's almost become a tradition of how we do Eid now, but it reminds me how blessed I am to have them in my life.

Having spent Ramadan at uni, how will this Eid emotionally differ to previous years?

It's definitely more emotional and I definitely realised how much of a privilege it was spending Ramadan with my family so I think I'm going to cherish this Eid more for sure. Doing Sehri and Iftar alone often was such a change from sitting at the table with my family, and Eid is very much for me a day spent with family, with uncles, aunts and cousins. I think if I spent it here alone it just wouldn't feel like Eid - something would be missing.

A big part of Eid is wearing new clothes. What role does fashion play in your daily life?

As a hijabi you're outside the beauty standard. Having a strong sense of fashion and being true to myself helps me feel confident in my hijab and my faith. The hijab is not about looking beautiful - in a society where so much of your life is affected by your appearance, feeling confident in how you look makes a difference.

How does giving charity before prayer reframe your time with God?

It makes you more grateful for even the little things like food, water, clothes and shelter when you realise for many, they don't have that and are going through unimaginable horrors. Especially when we look at the world around us right now, there's so much pain and suffering and hate. When we see especially innocent children caught up, not only does charity make a difference, but we're reminded of even the smallest privileges we often forget

about.

What special meal do you most look forward to?

I have definitely missed fried foods while being away from home like pakoras and samosas. But everything really from desi breakfast to my mum's biryani are things I have missed a lot being away from home. I think especially her breakfasts because they're the one thing nobody makes as good as her - like cornmeal chapattis and tea or potato parathas and tea.

Do you have any friends spending Eid at uni? If so how are they planning to celebrate?

I do and they’re celebrating with their societies that have set up Eid events.

What has been the biggest learning for you this Ramadan and how do you see it shaping your daily interactions going forward?

It's made me realise how much my mum does during Ramadan and I am definitely more grateful for her. In terms of my routine, I think it's taught me how to manage my time and to do list even when I'm tired. In Ramadan, I had to learn how to still do my uni work and assignments even though I was tired and hungry so that's a skill I think will be especially helpful with placement where we're in from 9 to 5 Monday to Friday.

What is one thing that non-Muslim can take from observing Eid celebrations around the world?

The main thing that stands out is the sense of community so would say take away that sense of belonging and connect with your community and those around you. Go out of your way to connect with a neighbour or just do a good deed.