Ramadan through the eyes of a UniKL’s international student

While Ramadan is a month of purification of mind, body, and soul, for some it also offers a chance to plan time for the entire family.

In Malaysia specifically, the custom is that everyone gathers during the Iftar time and waits together to break their fast all at once.

For Syed Zain Ul Abidin, who hails from a predominantly Muslim country of Pakistan, the same observance that becomes a part of the common standard during Ramadan in Malaysia is similar to that in Pakistan.

Due to that reason, the third-semester student of Bachelor in Computing and Business Management at Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Information Technology (UniKL MIIT) does not yearn too much for his hometown.

“Having been in Malaysia for five or six years, I openly miss Pakistan. But, lucky me because I still have a family here (in Malaysia), including my brother and my wife.

“I like the way Ramadan is celebrated in Malaysia, as it is not all that different. It is quite interesting that in Malaysia we can find Ramadan bazaars in almost any residential area, compared to Pakistan where it is only available in commercial areas,” he jokingly shared.

He was speaking at the ‘Sembang U&I – How I Celebrate Ramadhan’ virtual session when invited as one of the panellists alongside two other UniKL alumni, Muhammad Naqib Abdul Razak and Farah Syasya Fakhira Mohd Fathi to share their experience of fasting abroad and in Malaysia, respectively.

Having to juggle a few responsibilities while being a student, he confessed that time management during the holiest month is the hardest challenge for him to cope with.

Without realising, being occupied by work and those responsibilities, he quipped that it had piled up in his daily routine.

“As for Muslims, I bet everyone is certainly aware of the ibadah routine during the month of Ramadan, and on my part, this has presented a time management challenge.

“Despite that, I would say Ramadan ultimately offers more blessings than challenges,” he added.

Muslims worldwide observe Ramadan in some form and during this holy month, it is meant to be a time to practice spiritual discipline.

It is also the first Ramadan that Malaysians are allowed to celebrate with loved ones in their hometown after almost two years restricted by cross-state travel bans under the various implementation of movement control orders (MCOs).