Written for The Argo by Iman Ahmed

Stockton University welcomed the new Prayer and Meditation room as well as the Ablution room on Tuesday, September 12, with an incredible ribbon-cutting ceremony done by the Muslim Student Association. 

“The meditation room looks beautiful and I am very very proud of our students, particularly those who led the MSA to make this possible. It’s just a wonderful place for all students from all faiths across the institution to gather and to spend time in prayer, reflection, and whatever is important to them,” said President Joe Bertolino at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

While members of MSA spent the Spring Semester of 2023 working hard to achieve this peaceful space, it’s not limited to Muslim students. This room is meant to be a safe space for members of all religions to come and fulfill their religious obligations, as well as anyone who would like to come in and meditate. Due to the busy schedules of the day-to-day life of a college student, it’s hard to find a space to be able to pray. Having to choose between going off campus to pray or an uncomfortable area was a harsh reality for many students. With this new space, there is a better option, which is on campus and comfortable. It’s also important to rest and make time for your soul to rest. This can be done, thanks to the meditation room.

At the ceremony, Huda Waheed, the student who initiated and oversaw the process of achieving this room, had a beautiful statement to share. She explained, “Stockton provides for us, mind, body, soul. For body, you have a really nice I-wing gym and the Big Blue. For our minds, we get intellectually stimulated.” She then asks, “But what about nourishing our soul?”

Waheed reminded attendees that while they take care of their minds and bodies, it’s important to not forget their souls. There should be a balance between the three. According to Waheed, taking time out of busy and frustrating lives to put God first by praying is one way to give importance to individuals’ souls. Whether it be prayer or meditation, this room is intended to provide the space to create nourishment for the soul.

The original meditation room, which debuted on February 10, 2014, was located in the N-wing room N-007. This room served its purpose for the past 9 and a half years. After some research about the original Meditation room, a name came up: Sadaf Chaudhry, an alumnus of Stockton University as well as a former Muslim Student Association President from the Fall of 2011 to the Fall of 2012, and President of the Campus Religious Council from 2012 to 2013. After some conversation, Chaudhry provided a statement. 

“Before the N wing meditation room, there was no designated space on campus for prayer, meditation, or even just quiet relaxation. I served as president of MSA from [the] Fall of 2011 to [the] Fall of 2012. We had a box of prayer mats behind one of the pillars in the F-wing atrium that we would let people use on their own or when we had group prayers during meetings and events. We brainstormed on the idea of getting a room specifically for prayers, and we weren’t the first to have this idea. Later when I served as president of the Campus Religious Council for the 2012-2013 school year and had more of an opportunity to bring this idea to life, we found that people had asked about this up to about seven years before then,” said Chaudhry.

“The rest of the Campus Religious Council agreed that it was a good idea, and after working with [the] Student Senate to secure funding and find a space that was big enough, easily accessible, and available, we were able to choose the N-wing room, [which was] a quiet space, and [we had] arranged to have lockers put in. We had our ribbon-cutting ceremony on February 10th, 2014 and I was grateful we were able to make it happen. This was the first time anything like this was organized on campus. In the years since, I have gotten feedback that the N-wing location was a bit out of the way and difficult to find for some students. Because of that, I’m really glad that current MSA board members took the initiative to find a more central location. Overall, I hope the new room will be a quiet space for anyone on campus who needs it, and although I haven’t been able to see the new room yet, I will definitely visit campus again to see it and pray there at some point soon, In Sha Allah!” explained Chaudhry.

Through the hard work of students before us, the N-wing Meditation room became a space for religious students to practice their faith and anyone who simply needed a break. F-wing went from having a box of prayer rugs to now having a room where students can peacefully pray. The dedication of those students created a foundation for this new room. While the N-wing Meditation was a much-needed space at that time, the upgrade since then was much needed. 

The N-wing Meditation room appeared to be quite isolated from the rest of the campus. The new Meditation space, located next to the Multicultural Center in room F-012, is closer to many other campus facilities. This makes it easier for those who need to pray or take a few minutes for themselves, in between classes or work. The N-wing Meditation room was filled with great memories of events and so much more. Though the closing of the previous meditation room seems like the end of an era, this is the beginning of a new one. The ribbon-cutting ceremony initiated the start of many events that are to come in the future. 

“It’s heartening to see the hard work and determination put in by the Muslim Student Association to make this room a reality. This room is more than just 4 walls to us, it embodies the spirit of unity, fostering inclusivity – providing a supportive environment for the diverse religious and spiritual needs of the students to practice their faiths freely,” states Zikra Naz, President of the Muslim Student Association at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Not only can people be able to individually practice their faith, but this room creates opportunities to meet people of the same faith. MSA specifically has made sure to have enough community-based events so that everyone feels included, with weekly Halaqas for both women and men as well as many other events that bring everyone together.

This is not only a room, but a start of a new chapter for the religious organizations on campus. The journey to acquiring this space was not an easy one. The Muslim Student Association fought hard, passionately advocating for this room, and their unwavering commitment resulted in success. Achieving this room included working hard for months as well as long periods of waiting. 

The proposal was submitted in February of 2023 to Student Development and after meetings with Engagement and Community Development, there were no signs of hope for months. 

“I made dua (prayer) and left the rest to Allah, for surely he is Ar-Razzaq, the Provider, and he will provide,” stated Waheed when talking about the process of attaining this room when it was not in her control to do anything but to wait. In July of 2023, prayers were answered as an email brought the good news that F-012 was finally happening. By September, the room was ready, thanks to Plant Operations. 

“I hope all students are as excited as the MSA students are. Students from all faiths who use the new space [are] great. But in saying that, I [would] like to thank the MSA students for their leadership in getting this project initiated, [and] following through on it. If students are doing a proposal, I’m going to send them to the MSA leadership because they know how to do one right,” says Craig Stambaugh, Assistant Vice President of Engagement and Community Development. 

The event in itself was a huge success with students and staff from all over the campus coming to celebrate this achievement. With the help of Jeffery Wakeman, Director of Student Development, Dianne Stalling, Assistant Director of Student Development, as well as the Plant Management and Student Affairs Departments. 

Those in attendance expressed their excitement for the new facilities, including the former President of the Muslim Student Association, Fatima Khawaja. “Things happen when you apply pressure and right now we’re so happy because we know that we did what needed to be done and now it just got done. The feelings of accomplishment are overwhelming. But apply pressure in life! Get things done,” said Khawaja.

“Walking into this room and seeing that many Muslims really made my heart happy because it shows what kind of strong community we have and together I feel like we can do so much more, In sha Allah!”  said Umaima Rabby, a Stockton student majoring in Health Science.