During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset in order to bring themselves closer to their god, Allah.

“We abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse,” said Fama Lo, junior in computer engineering from Dakar, Senegal.

Riad Mahayni, professor and chairman of community and regional planning, said Ramadan is part of the five pillars of Islam.

He said it is a very spiritual month in which Muslims take time to reflect and remember family and friends.

It is practiced once a year on the ninth month of the Arabic calendar and depending on the moon, it lasts for 29 or 30 days, Lo said.

The Arabic calendar is different from the American calendar, so Ramadan comes at different times of the calendar year.

“Last year it was close to December, next year it may be in October, and five years ago it was in the summer,” Lo said. “It all depends on the moon.”

Lo said going without food or water all day is not as hard as it seems, and some people think it’s not healthy.

But if Muslims eat before the sun comes up they’ll be fine, she said.

“The only thing is that people usually get thirsty, but it really only feels like you skipped lunch,” Lo said.

Muslim students can receive meals before sunrise and after sunset at the new mosque in west Ames at 1212 Iowa Ave.

“Students enjoy [going to the mosque] together,” Mahayni said. “They have study groups for the students as well.”

Ramadan doesn’t interfere with the students’ day-to-day activities, he said.

Lo said Ramadan helps people understand what poor people go through.

She said the holiday makes people more likely to give because they know how it feels to be hungry.

“God wants people to be generous,” Lo said. “And fasting helps people be more generous.”

However, she said generosity is just one reason Muslims fast during Ramadan.

“This is your faith,” she said. “No matter how it affects you, you know it’s right.”