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How can a Secret Convert in Dubai Pray and Fast?

20 March, 2020
Q Could you pls post an article for someone who’s a secret convert and how she/he can fast without suspicion cause they will be very alert at the time of Ramadan and I live in Dubai. How to fast and pray and what to do if they force you to eat and drink and all?

Answer

Dr. Jasser Auda
20 March, 2020

Short Answer:

  • If you are forced to eat or drink, then continue your day of fasting after the food or drink until sunset.
  • As for praying in secret, Allah also does not ask of any soul more than what it can bear.
  • Therefore, an individual in a state of danger or an abnormal circumstance should assess for themselves the best ways to pray. One can pray in a closed room, and if not possible, one could pray sitting while moving his/her back, head or even eyes. ………….

How can a Secret Convert in Dubai Pray and Fast?

Wa alikom assalam. This is a complicated situation, and it is only the person who asked the question who could judge the right actions for themselves.

The following, however, will attempt to offer a general outline of how to think about this complex situation.

First, “Allah does not ask of a soul more than it could bare”, and therefore practicing Islam is not supposed to cause you harm of any kind. There is a small amount of hardship that all Muslims should endure while they try to fulfill their duties.

However, our duties as Muslims should not lead to us being harmed in any way. This is a general rule and the application is obviously dependent on the details of the situation you are in.

Forced to Eat or Drink in Ramadan?

So if there is a way of keeping your faith secret in the environment you are in, while fasting your full day of Ramadan, then you have an obligation to do that.

If it is not possible then do not subject yourself to harm, and fast only as much as you can.

If you are forced to eat or drink, then continue your day of fasting after the food or drink until sunset.

But given that you are saying that you live in Dubai, it appears to me that the whole arrangement is one of those wrong and non-Islamic arrangements there.

So if you are able to leave the “employment” you are in and shift to another employment then do that. If you know that your life will not be subjected to danger, you should seek the help of the authorities.

If you cannot, then wait for the opportunity to leave the land where you cannot worship your Lord and go to a different land. Allah’s land is vast.

But if you cannot do any of the above, then fast as many hours as you can, and if you are forced to break your fasting then resume your fasting till sunset as much as you can.

Also use the night of Ramadan to pray, also as much as you can. May Allah provide you a way out.

Praying in Secret in Ramadan?

As for praying in secret, Allah also does not ask of any soul more than what it can bear.

Therefore, an individual in a state of danger or an abnormal circumstance should assess for themselves the best ways to pray.

As for the cases of war, the Prophet (s) applies the verses from the Quran related to that:

When you ˹O Prophet˺ are ˹campaigning˺ with them and you lead them in prayer, let one group of them pray with you—while armed. When they prostrate themselves, let the other group stand guard behind them. Then the group that has not yet prayed will then join you in prayer—and let them be vigilant and armed. The disbelievers would wish to see you neglect your weapons and belongings, so they could launch a sweeping assault on you. But there is no blame if you lay aside your weapons when overcome by heavy rain or illness—but take precaution. Indeed, Allah has prepared a humiliating punishment for the disbelievers.

(Quran 4:102)

As for other cases, one can pray in a closed room, and if not possible, one could pray sitting while moving his/her back, head or even eyes.

There’s no single answer to this question. It all depends on the circumstances and the assessment of the situation by every individual.

And Allah knows best.

I hope this helps.

Salam and please keep in touch.

Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links:

How to Make the Best of Ramadan as a New Muslim?
How Can I Pray When My Hindu Family Doesn’t Know I Follow Islam?
Should I Go Against My Hindu Family & Convert to Islam?


Non Muslims Parents Non-Practicing Family Fast and Prayer Fasting in Ramadan Converts in Ramadan secret convert
About Dr. Jasser Auda
Jasser Auda is a Professor and Al-Shatibi Chair of Maqasid Studies at the International Peace College South Africa, the Executive Director of the Maqasid Institute, a global think tank based in London, and a Visiting Professor of Islamic Law at Carleton University in Canada. He is a Founding and Board Member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Member of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, Fellow of the Islamic Fiqh Academy of India, and General Secretary of Yaqazat Feker, a popular youth organization in Egypt. He has a PhD in the philosophy of Islamic law from University of Wales in the UK, and a PhD in systems analysis from University of Waterloo in Canada. Early in his life, he memorized the Quran and studied Fiqh, Usul and Hadith in the halaqas of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo. He previously worked as: Founding Director of the Maqasid Center in the Philosophy of Islamic Law in London; Founding Deputy Director of the Center for Islamic Ethics in Doha; professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada, Alexandria University in Egypt, Islamic University of Novi Pazar in Sanjaq, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, and the American University of Sharjah. He lectured and trained on Islam, its law, spirituality and ethics in dozens of other universities and organizations around the world. He wrote 25 books in Arabic and English, some of which were translated to 25 languages.