Ramadan Blog

For me personally, Ramadan is a month I really look forward to and I literally count the days leading up to Ramadan. I love everything about Ramadan: the abstaining from eating and drinking, the spiritual side of it and the feeling of being part of a shared community which is what I love most about Ramadan. I have been fasting from a very early age, I remember keeping all 30 fasts from at least the age of 9 and never missed a year of fasting.

Fasting was something I always took for granted – it never ever occurred to me that there will be a juncture in my life where I would have to question whether or not I should I be fasting. However, I did reach that juncture when in 2012, I was diagnosed with cancer. In that year, Ramadan fell during the course of my treatment which consisted of a weekly chemotherapy regime. This placed me at odds as I wanted to continue fasting but was also conscious that my body needed to be at optimal standard to withstand the chemotherapy regime. 

I felt very guilty for not fasting; I felt like somehow my faith was not strong enough or that I was weak for considering not fasting that year. Looking back, I was in turmoil. I knew my body needed to be in optimal health but the guilt of not fasting was overwhelming.

However, I have since come to understand that it’s okay to be unable to fast and that Islam provides people with health problems an exemption from fasting. They can instead either make it up when better or if it is a chronic condition, they can instead feed the needy for every day that they are unable to fast. 

If someone is unable to participate, they don’t have to. If fasting makes your medical condition worse then you should not fast. Conversely, if skipping medication will hurt you, then taking your medicine is just as important as fasting. This is what Islam says and this is also what I now advocate for others as well as for myself. 

If you see someone who is not fasting don’t ask them why they are not fasting and also do not question their faith. The likelihood is it has taken them a while to accept themselves that they cannot partake in Ramadan and they really don’t need people reminding them or making them feel that their faith is somehow inadequate. All of this is unnecessary when Islam has allowed exemptions in these circumstances. 

I also learnt a valuable lesson during that year and that was that Ramadan was not just about fasting but encompassed a whole host of other things which even if I was not able to fast I could still participate in. I didn’t have to fast to give to the less fortunate and I could also still build a spiritual connection with my god even though I was not fasting. Furthermore, I was still able to enhance my knowledge of Islam by reading more about it and being thankful for what I had. I could do all of this even though I was not fasting as Ramadan is not all or nothing. 

People who find themselves in similar situations need to remind themselves that Ramadan is more than the month of fasting and it is important that those that are unable to partake in Ramadan don’t lose sight of that.