Beginning the evening of February 17th, 2026, many Muslims marked the beginning of the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the holy month of Ramadan. During this month, Muslims observe a core pillar of Islam by fasting from before sunrise to sunset. In addition, they engage in acts of worship such as reciting the Qur’an (which was revealed during Ramadan), engaging in self-reflection, giving to charity, performing additional prayers, and more.

To celebrate the month of Ramadan, the OISE Library curated several events, activities, and initiatives. These included a book display that highlighted the work of many authors of the Muslim diaspora, found within the OISE Library’s Children’s Literature, Curriculum Resources, and Research collections, an opportunity to colour in Islamic geometric art in our Unstudy space, as well as an anonymous community engagement board that was guided by a Ramadan-related prompt! For the first time, the Library was also able to host a series of henna workshops that not only discussed the cultural significance of henna across Muslim households in the month of Ramadan, but also guided community members through henna application and creative practice as well.

Book Display

Written by Muslim and Pakistani American author Hena Khan, The Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story is a book from OISE Library's Children’s Literature Collection, published in 2008. Featuring beautiful Islamic art, this book takes to the vibrant perspective of Yasmeen, a seven-year-old Muslim, Pakistani American girl as she observes the month of Ramadan in her household. Through her eyes, the story speaks about Chaand Raat – the night of the moon – which occurs on the last day of Ramadan, the night before the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr. Taking both Muslim and non-Muslim readers on an informative, whimsical journey, The Night of the Moon highlights the origins of this Muslim holiday, how it is celebrated alongside family and friends, as well as the delicious food, heartwarming customs, and traditions involved in the process. For much of the Ramadan-related henna traditions, Eid preparations, and festivities that occur, many of which also discussed during the OISE Library’s henna workshop sessions, The Night of the Moon provides as significant background, especially for early-childhood educators.

Sequel to The Proudest Blue (also included in our Ramadan book display), The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship is a book from the OISE Library’s children’s literature collection. Book cover for The Kindest Red It is written by Ibtihaj Muhammad, a Muslim-American author and Olympic medalist, as well as S.K. Ali, a Muslim-Canadian author. The Kindest Red takes to the story of a young Muslim girl named Faizah, and the many interactions that she has with her sister, friends, and other peers on picture day at her school. It is a story that explores the mundane, yet impactful actions that can be taken to spread kindness, love, and warmth, as well as the ability that people – even children – have to combine collective visions of smiles and support. In doing so, The Kindest Red becomes an enjoyable source of everyday Muslim representation for young people, a must read in celebration of the month of Ramadan.

Shaping Muslim Futures: Youth Visions and Activist Praxis, Book cover for Shaping Muslim Futures is a guidebook written by Dr. Sameena Eidoo, a Muslim author, educator, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning here at OISE! The text seeks to facilitate an exploration of alternative futures for youth who identify as Muslim. In a context where Muslim futures are under threat – of Islamophobia – through the perspectives of youth situated in and near Toronto, Shaping Muslim Futures is led by a commitment to the belief in the collective liberation of all. As such, through the activist praxis of Muslim youth, it works to re-imagine a world in which Muslim youth thrive, safer spaces are constructed for Muslim women, racial profiling and state surveillance can be resisted, and more. In doing so, this text serves as an invitation for Muslim youth and other racialized readers to practice living out counternarratives of their existence through more just and liberatory futures, as though they already exist.

Art Display

Integrated into both the cultural significance and aesthetic excellence of the curated book display was a collection of art designed by Hafsah Syeda, one of the authors of this blog post and a graduate student library assistant at OISE Library. The collection titled Weaving Golden Spheres consists of ten canvases painted free hand using materials like acrylic, gouache, watercolor, and gel pens. Cohesively the canvases sought to combine themes of Islamic mosaic art, henna motifs, and contemporary design elements (stars, comets, moon phases) across the temporal and spatial landscapes. This collection in particular was designed as narrative art, weaving together a story across the visual pieces. This story, for those who might take a moment to pause, presents the circling and returning moments of joy. The joy that we find at our center as individuals, and the joy we find as we reach outwards to the communities around us.

Three photos showing artwork Weaving Golden Spheres by Hafsah Syeda

Programming at the Unstudy Space

Photo of colouring sheets at the OISE Library Unstudy Spot An extension of the visual arts programming during Islamic Heritage Month, the Unstudy Space during the month of Ramadan offered an opportunity for members of the OISE Library community to unwind through the act of colouring. Once again, colouring sheets featuring Islamic geometric patterns and mandala designs were laid out on the tables in the quiet library space, alongside various art supplies, such as markers, pencil crayons, crayons, etc. Having these materials out to engage with through the act of “unstudying” not only gave community members an opportunity to decompress during a stressful midterm season, but also was a means by which they could interact with the visual symbols and patterns that illustrate the people, artifacts, and events relevant to moments in Islamic heritage and cultural history.

Ramadan Community Engagement Board

Featured alongside the art and book display, community members were invited to share their thoughts through interacting with the prompt: What do you know about Ramadan? What started as a simple invitation evolved into a live collection of communal learning with the display containing an array of colorful sticky notes. Of the many wonderful community responses, some sticky notes included well-versed knowledge, and others expressed curiosity about the month of Ramadan. By inviting everyone to pick up a pencil, it served as a powerful reminder that our most valuable resources are often the people standing right next to us.

Five photos of the Ramadan Community Engagement Board

Henna Event

On Wednesday, February 25th, a series of two henna workshops were held for students, faculty, staff, and other community members of the OISE Library. The sessions were facilitated by Hafsah and Neha, both long-time henna artists in their respective communities. Given their experience and traditional knowledge as South Asian Muslims celebrating and practicing henna art during the month of Ramadan, the earlier portion of each workshop was dedicated to a situated introduction of the artform. This included the particular cultural contexts in which henna art is practiced, as well as a deeper dive into the relevance of henna art practice across Muslim families – much of these customs also shared with people outside of the Muslim community.

That being said, the workshop at the OISE Library focused on the contexts of Ramadan, Chaand-Raat, and Eid-ul-Fitr. Chaand-Raat (translation: the night of the moon), is a specific term used commonly in South Asia, and refers to the last night of Ramadan, where Muslims all around the world step outdoors in pursuit of a crescent moon sighting which will mark the beginning of Shawwal - the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid-ul-Fitr refers to the first three days of Shawwal which are celebrated, marking the end of the month of Ramadan. On Chaand-Raat most significantly, many Muslims will gather with their friends and family to decorate their homes, set out their finest garments, prepare cultural delicacies for Eid celebrations, as well as apply henna on each other (see Hena Khan - The Night of the Moon). In the hours and days to come, the stain of the applied henna deepens and becomes a symbol of the rich culture and festivities in session.

Following this introduction, the library workshop covered a few of the many regional categories of henna that are applied in Muslim households. This included the Fessai, Indian, Khaleeji, Pakistani styles, and more. Moving onto more practical information, the workshop shared common cultural motifs that are seen in henna art, as well as how participants could go about holding the henna cones they were provided with in preparation for the application portion of the afternoon.

Photos of students and staff at the henna eventa

Until the end of each session, the rest of the allotted time was spent allowing community members to socialize and self-apply henna on their hands. It was a period of tremendous creativity, fun, and appreciation of the cultural art form, as well as learning about the background and context within which it was being practiced. Participants were further encouraged to explore additional initiatives at the OISE Library and share some of the new insights that they gained on the Ramadan community engagement board.

We sincerely thank all those who attended, supported, and expressed interest in the wide range of Ramadan-related programming, and contributed to making the OISE Library a more safe, warm, and welcoming space for those observing the month.

Banner photo by Rawan Yasser on Unsplash

Ramadan 1447 (2026) at OISE Library: A Recap