Chicago area Muslims and their children prepare for holy month of Ramadan
Muslims around the world are preparing for the start of Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam, on Friday night.
Fasting begins Saturday, when Muslims will refrain from eating or drinking anything from dawn to sunset for the month. It's a time of increased worship, charity, and good deeds.
In Rolling Meadows in Chicago's northwest suburbs, families spent Friday preparing their children for the holy month.
Children at Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs in Rolling Meadows performed their daily prayer as they awaited the start of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, lasting from 29 to 30 days. The period of time is used from dawn to dusk for fasting, prayer, creating good habits, and abstaining from bad ones.
"We go to the masjid, we pray Koran, and we eat food at the afternoon, and then we go to sleep," 5-year-old Zaydan Khan said.
What are some of the things he's learned about Ramadan?
"Mostly I learned how to pray, and I mostly know how to pray and read Koran, and I can speak Koran," he said. "And I can speak Urdu, too."
Zaydan also said he likes the mosque, "because it's peaceful, but a little loud."
With her little legs swinging, 4-year-old Kamila Hojaeva shared her favorite part of Ramadan.
"To eat!" she said. "I like to drink juice, and I like to eat pizza."
While Muslims must believe in all of the holy book – the Torah, Psalms, the Gospel, and the Koran – the Koran is what they follow, which was revealed to the prophet Muhammad during the month of Ramadan. To learn more about the observance, children watch a play and do arts and crafts.
For Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs children's program director Saima Ahmed, teaching little ones is a full circle moment. She attended the mosque as a child.
"I feel obviously very happy. I think about all the memories that I had growing up during Ramadan in the masjid with community, with family, and with friends; and I'm just really honored that I can be a part of that now for a new generation of kids," she said.
In 1983, the organization started with just a few hundred people in a 5,000-square-foot building on Industrial Avenue two blocks away from their current home. Today, they have a sprawling 45,000-square-foot mosque that was completed in 2023, serving about 1,000 Muslims.
"It took us about four decades to be where we are today; and we can't thank our community enough for coming together, and donating generously, and then helping out in every way they can," said Shariq Khan, chairman of outreach & interfaith at Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs.
The goal of Ramadan is to be a good and fair person, and to sustain those values in the months and years ahead.
