Islamic minister urges colleges to avoid holding classes during Taraweeh prayers

Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has urged colleges to avoid scheduling classes during Taraweeh prayer hours in Ramadan.

Since the beginning of the fasting month, some colleges have been holding night classes that overlap with Taraweeh. In a post on Monday, the minister said several students had complained that their colleges were conducting classes during the time allocated for Taraweeh prayers.

Shaheem said it is important that colleges organising evening classes ensure they do not interfere with Taraweeh, noting that most mosques complete the prayer by 9:00 pm, while the earliest finish around 8:30 pm.

He added that Ramadan is a month dedicated to worship, and Islam encourages night‑time devotion. The government has also closed offices for the last ten days of Ramadan to allow people more time for religious observance. This year, government offices closed starting Monday.