ST. LOUIS (RNS) — By day, he’s a third‑year medical student, hustling between operating rooms and cramming for exams. By night, he trades his scrubs for a thobe — an Islamic robe for men — and steps to the front of a carpeted prayer hall, leading rows of worshippers in prayer as he recites pages of the Quran from memory.
For Besher Jabri, Ramadan is not a time to slow down. Across the country, young men like him are balancing school and work as they step into quasi-imam roles, leading Taraweeh prayers deep into the night. The task is demanding and involves hours of daily review and a grueling schedule that stretches to near midnight. Yet these student reciters say leading a congregation is about more than filling a need at local mosques — they see it as a spiritual responsibility to preserve the sacred text and share it with their communities.
“As someone who’s studied the Quran, I think it’s a duty for us to give back,” Jabri, 25, said. “It’s not just like, ‘Oh, it would be nice.’ I think it’s something we’re required to do.”
At the Northwest Islamic Center in the suburbs of St. Louis County, Jab …