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Ramadan

Please see the links below to RSVP for the Iftar dinners this year. Please know that attendance to a Harvard Iftar dinner is via RSVP only and other than spouses, non-Harvard ID holders are not allowed. 

Link for Communal Iftar Dinner RSVP form (Thursdays & Fridays only): https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6rmFjfpzYtQFgdo

Link for Longwood Iftar Dinner RSVP form (Mondays - Wednesdays only): https://engage.sph.harvard.edu/event/10008118

Link for Cambridge Graduate School Iftar Dinner RSVP form (Mondays - Wednesdays only): https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4ZAcxjyAVSA9SBg

Ramadan 2024 at Harvard 

As-Salamu Alaikum,

As we approach the time for Ramadan, we wanted to provide an overview of this years’ Ramadan program which is scheduled to occur from March 10 – April 9th, 2024. The first week of Ramadan coincides with Spring Break on campus. Spring Break will significantly impact Ramadan planning not only for this year, but for the next two years when Spring Break is scheduled to fall within the holy month of Ramadan. The University and its operations remain closed during that time and because of that there will be no University Iftar dinners offered during spring break.

Ramadan this Year (2024)

The wonderful growth of our community on campus has presented a logistical and financial challenge for developing a sustainable Ramadan program on campus. Furthermore, the arrival of spring break in Ramadan this year (and in the next two to three years), the significant difficulty placed on us and on volunteers to manage and sustain 30 nights of programming in Ramadan, as well as the significant increase in financial costs to sustain nightly catered iftar dinners for two campuses, unfortunately no longer permit the continuation of the previous model of Ramadan programming.

The previous model of nightly communal iftars, while of tremendous benefit to our community, was simply entirely too costly and not sustainable long-term, and immediately following Eid of last year, discussions between our Office and the Office of the President began to take place on how to develop a more sustainable model for Ramadan going forward. A decision was made this year to try a hybrid model, which would combine some weekly communal iftar dinners for the entire Harvard Muslim community, along with collaboration across graduate schools to develop localized iftar dinners for Muslim graduate students. The College already has a model in place for meeting the needs of undergraduate students, but we requested some enhancements.

A significant amount of time and effort has been utilized in meeting with the leadership of across Schools at Harvard to discuss and plan Ramadan with them and to invite them to participate in this year’s collaboration of Ramadan iftar sponsorship. We are very pleased to share that the Deans and senior leadership of each School across the University and the College have all welcomed this invitation and have been very excited to participate. There will be a shared cost burden where each School is contributing to the cost of sponsoring Iftar dinners this year. The President's Office has supplied our office with budget for some communal iftar dinners as well.

This year we will experience a new Ramadan program, where there will be a combination of local iftar dinners for students offered separately on Mondays thru Wednesdays, and the larger communal iftar dinners for our entire Harvard Muslim community to come together offered on Thursdays and Fridays. There will be no organized Iftar dinners offered on the weekends for budgetary reasons. Below is the breakdown for the Ramadan Program this year as follows:

  1. The Plan for Communal Iftar Dinners for all Harvard Muslim community members
  2. The Plan for Undergraduates at Harvard College
  3. The Plan for Harvard Muslim Graduate Students in Cambridge and Allston
  4. The Plan for Harvard Muslim Graduate Students in Longwood
  5. The Plan for Taraweeh Prayers in Cambridge

Harvard Muslim Chaplains Communal Iftar Dinners

 

The Muslim Chaplains Office will be offering communal iftar dinners on Thursdays and Fridays hosted at the SOCH and open to all current Harvard affiliates (students, faculty and staff) participating in Ramadan. We will also host a communal Iftar dinner on the final night of Ramadan, scheduled for Tuesday April 9th. RSVP for these dinners will be required and the communal Iftar dinners are ONLY available to current Harvard ID holders. The link for the RSVP form will be sent out in the coming weeks.

 

Non-Harvard ID holders will be directed to the local Mosques for communal iftar dinners. The dates and times for our community Iftar dinners on Thursdays and Fridays during Ramadan (beginning after Spring Break week) will be:

 

  • March 21 (Thursday)
  • March 22 (Friday)
  • March 28 (Thursday)
  • March 29 (Friday)
  • April 4 (Thursday)
  • April 5 (Friday)
  • April 9 (Tuesday) – the final night of Ramadan.

For Muslim Undergraduates of Harvard College

For Harvard College Muslim undergraduates and residential staff living in residence and participating in the board plan, meal options will include the arrangements made by the College in all College dining halls throughout Ramadan. During spring break, options will be available via the three dining halls that will remain open. Undergraduate Muslim students may gather in their houses and/or take their meals to the Sever Hall Prayer Room (musallah) and gather there.

During spring break, these options will be available via the three dining halls that will remain open:

  • Breakfast (Sahoor)
  • Students will be able to order a breakfast bag or pack a takeout container the night before.
  • Individual Suhoor meal bag:
  • Pre-bagged individual breakfast can be ordered online by undergraduates through the standard Harvard bag meal portal. The bag meal menu has been enhanced with a few additional healthy and sustaining options, including a grilled halal chicken wrap, cold bean salad, fresh fruit cup and granola bar.
  • Community Suhoor Packout:
  • Packouts of breakfast ingredients for a group can be ordered online through the Harvard packout system and include: eggs, cheese, cut veggies (peppers and onions), breads and bagels, cream cheese, grilled halal chicken, a plant-based breakfast sausage, pancake mix, hand fruit and fruit salad, cereal cups and milk, juice. 
  • Residential staff will be asked to identify if they are interested in participating in this arrangement so we can provide an accurate number for HUDS staff to prepare.

 

Dinner:

  • The latest sunset during Ramadan takes place on April 8 at 7:18pm. The College is able to accommodate any observant students in the dining halls.
  • Menus will be reviewed to make some changes to best accommodate our observant students.
  • To Go containers will be available for students and residential staff to pack a meal for later.

Academic Concerns

If a student has concerns about attendance during courses and labs in the month of Ramadan, the College’s policy re: attendance is outlined in the Student Handbook (https://handbook.college.harvard.edu/files/collegehandbook/files/harvard_college_student_handbook2223.pdf). If a student has concerns about a particular course, they should speak with their Resident Dean.

 

 

For Harvard Muslim Graduate Students in Cambridge & Allston

 

The Graduate and Professional Schools in Cambridge will be sponsoring Iftar Dinners for the entire Harvard Muslim graduate student community on campus, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Students will be required to RSVP for each day they will attend, as the different Schools will be sponsoring a different night. Muslim student leadership at each graduate school are assisting with the planning of these dinners, in coordination with our office. Because of limited space capacity, the Graduate School Iftar Dinners are not open to undergraduate students, nor to Graduate Students outside of Harvard.

 

The schedule for the Muslim Grad Iftar dinners are as follows:

 

Monday 3/18 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Avenue. Enter through the ground floor Commons Entrance off the Campus Green, adjacent to the HDS Library) - sponsored by HDS

Tuesday 3/19 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at SOCH – located 59 Shepard Street) - sponsored by HKS

Wednesday 3/20 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at – Milstein Conference Center located inside the WCC (1585 Massachusetts Ave) - sponsored by HLS

Monday 3/25 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at - Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street) - sponsored by HSD

Tuesday 3/26 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at SOCH) - sponsored by HKS

 

Wednesday 3/27 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at SOCH) - sponsored by GSAS

 

Monday 4/1 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at Batten Hives 2nd & 3rd floor) sponsored by HBS

 

Tuesday 4/2 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at SOCH) - sponsored by GSE

 

Wednesday 4/3 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at SOCH) - sponsored by GSAS

 

​​​​​​​Monday 4/8 (6:30pm – 8:30pm at SEC, 150 Western Avenue) - sponsored by SEAS

 

For Harvard Muslim Grad Students in Longwood

 

The Medical, Dental, and Chan Schools in Longwood are working together this year to sponsor Iftar dinners on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for students in Longwood who are observing Ramadan. The Longwood Iftar dinners will be held on Mondays thru Wednesday nights throughout Ramadan. Students in Longwood will also be required to RSVP for these dinners.

 

There will be shuttle service offered to Muslim students coming from Longwood directly to the SOCH on Thursdays and Fridays to allow them to attend the community Iftar Dinners. The Longwood Iftar dinners are open to students in Longwood participating in Ramdan for free. There is a $26 per person cost to faculty members, researchers, hospital affiliates or staff wishing to attend the Longwood Iftar dinners. The dinners are not open to anyone without a Harvard ID. 

 

2024 Ramadan Shuttle Service Information from Longwood to SOCH for Iftar Dinners

 

Ramadan Shutte Dates (Thursdays & Fridays):

  • March 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29
  • April 4, 5

Ramadan Shuttle Service Schedule from Longwood to the SOCH:

Vanderbilt Quad
5:15pm 5:45pm
6:30pm 7:00pm
7:45pm 9:00pm
9:30pm 10:00pm
10:30pm 11:00pm

Below are instructions with QR code for downloading the Transloc app.

Mobile Access | LMA Shuttle (transloc.com)

 

 

 

Taraweeh Prayers on Campus this Ramadan

 

Taraweeh Prayers on campus will be held in the Sever Hall Prayer Room (Musallah) nightly in the Cambridge campus during Ramadan, beginning Monday night March 18th following Spring Break. Harvard ID holders only please. The schedule for Taraweeh will be sent out closer to Ramadan.

 

 

Summary

 

In conclusion, Mondays through Wednesdays will be nights for local iftar dinners within the College and the Graduate Schools (both in Cambridge and Longwood). Thursdays and Fridays will offer Harvard Muslim community-wide iftar dinners in the SOCH (the same style as last year). The RSVP links for the dinners will be sent out in the coming weeks.

 

No formal iftar dinners offered on the weekends or during Spring Break. Students and community members are encouraged to visit the local mosques on the weekends for Taraweeh prayer during those times.

 

We look forward to this year’s Ramadan experience and may Allah bless our community and grace us to experience a spiritually enhancing Ramadan this year.

- Chaplain Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid & Chaplain Samia Omar, Muslim Chaplains at Harvard University