Iftaars in Battell Chapel

Just to make sure: please note that beginning tonight all our iftaars are to be held in Battell Chapel (at the corner of College and Elm Streets). There are, however, three exceptions: on October 12 we will meet for iftaar in HGS common room; on October 13 we will meet for iftaar in HGS room 211, and on October 14 there will be no regular iftaar since we expect most of our members to attend the Ramadan Banquet: to be held in Commons Dining Hall at 5 PM on Friday, October 14.

Tarawih prayers continue to be at 8:30pm, every night in the Musallah.

In the News: Halal Meat

If you haven't seen it already, today's issue of Yale Daily News features a report on the recent introduction of halal burgers and hotdogs to our residential college dining halls. (The article can be accessed online, here.) The story is accompanied by a huge photo (not online) of a Pierson dining hall worker posing with a huge smile in front of halal burgers on the grill. There's word on the MSA that the Pierson dining hall has been getting heavy halal traffic, and their friendly staff have been very eager/able to pronounce the Arabic word halal with an impressive degree of approximation. Rumors are also out there that the day after the big announcement, proud meat-eater Usman made a feast for himself at dinner in Pierson and consumed three hotdogs and four hamburgers. (Way to go, Usman!)

Tarawih and Iftaar

Tarawih prayers for the month have begun tonight, and are being held in the musallah every night following 'Isha prayers at 8:30pm. For directions to the prayer room, click here. Prayers last until about 9:30pm or earlier.

Our daily iftaar/dinner arragements for October 5, 6 and 7 are being made in HGS (Hall of Graduate Studies) at 320 York St. Tomorrow (October 5th), we will meet in the Common Room, on the first floor, but on the 6th and 7th, it will be in Room 119. The time for maghrib (sun-down) for the next few days is just around 6:30pm.

From October 8th onwards, we will meet for iftaar everyday at the permanent location, which is Battell Chapel (corner of College & Elm streets), insha Allah.

Ramadan begins on Wednesday

We have just learned through ISNA and ICNA announcements online that the moon wasn't sighted today anywhere in the U.S. and so Ramadan will begin on Wednesday, October 5th insha Allah. The official announcement, as of 10:45pm Eastern, is as follows:

UPDATE @ 9:45PM CST: Members of the Fiqh Council, National Islamic Shura Council and Muslim astronomical consultants, in a conference call on Monday evening, agreed that there were no confirmed reports of moon sightings in North America on Monday, October 3. Therefore, Sha'ban will complete 30 days and Ramadan will begin on Wednesday, October 5, insha'Allah.

All Muslim students on the mailing-list should be aware of iftaar arrangements for the month, but we will continue to update confirmed time and locations here, insha Allah. (Reminder to undergraduates on meal-plans: you should by now have submitted your SID numbers, in order for your dining-swipes to be allocated to Ramadan meals)

Yale appoints Muslim Chaplain!

As many of you may know, this year Yale University has appointed its first part-time Muslim Chaplain, brother Sohaib Sultan. A warm, friendly and pleasant young man, Sohaib joins us from Hartford, where he is currently pursuing a Master's in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at the Hartford Seminary. Sohaib serves as a valuable resource for our community, and is there to help Yale's Muslim students and scholars in all capacities.

Click here to read the intro letter from the chaplain.