You come home from a regular day of school, dying of thirst and hunger, so you decide to watch television to distract yourself from eating. As soon as you turn on the television, a Pizza Hut commercial advertising its new mouth-watering, stuffed- crust pan pizza appears and that’s when your jaw slowly starts to drop and your eyes widen. At that moment, pizza has never looked so appetizing.

Now, to a dieter with no self-control or a regular hungry teen, he/she would probably pick up the phone and dial the Pizza Hut number and fulfill the craving. But what if there was absolutely no way to satisfy that craving until sundown?

One of the 5 pillars of Islam is fasting during the month of Ramadan, which takes place on the ninth month of the Islamic year. However, many people who do not practice Islam are not aware of what the requirements are, along with fasting. I can state them in a few words: Able-bodied Muslims, meaning those who are capable and mature enough, are not allowed to eat or drink from dawn to sundown. No, not even water or gum. Many exceptions to fasting include those who are sick, women who are pregnant, the elderly, and travelers.

When it comes to fasting during school, many students struggle, especially if they are involved in an after-school sport or activity. "At first, fasting during school was difficult, especially around people who were eating, but I have gotten used to it. It is also easier for me to resist the vending machines," says Abi Shitta-Bey, a senior at Paint Branch who practices Islam. "However, it is a little harder this year because the sun sets later (around 7:45), but I cope."

Muslim athletes are also likely to struggle during the month of Ramadan, considering they have to go the whole day without liquids or food for energy. In an article in Time magazine entitled "Soccer Star Benched for Fasting Ramadan," Jeff Israely reported on an athlete who struggled during the Beijing 2009 Supercup Match because he was fasting at the time. As a result, the coach was forced to bench him. Thus, practicing Islam comes with challenging sacrifices. The same situation applies to Paint Branch senior Amina Aden, who currently plays varsity field hockey. Despite the fact that her mom urged for her to fast, she felt that "fasting is extremely difficult while playing field hockey and constantly running without water feels impossible."

This year, Ramadan began on the 21st of August and ended on the 19th of September. As the month that the Holy Qu’ran was sent by God from heaven to Earth, Ramadan, according to an article entitled "The Fast of Ramadan" on holidays.net, "is a time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation." During the month of Ramadan, Muslims also read the Qur’an constantly and pray additional prayers because they "believe that because this month has been blessed by Allah, any good actions during Ramadan will bring them a greater reward."