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Help! My Tough Job Means Fasting Makes Me Sick!

19 May, 2020
Q This is the story of a new convert from South Korea This is technically her first Ramadan, and she is finding it very difficult to cope with full-time work and little sleep. What can she do? This is a summary of her question: "Technically-speaking, this is my first Ramadan. Last year I was not Muslim yet, and tried fasting 12 days, but at the time I was a student. Now I'm working full-time, and Ramadan is tremendously difficult for me. I teach at a private academy, and have to be standing for 8 hours a day, speaking all the time. I have 2 more hours for office work, and by the time I get home while fasting I'm a total wreck. Sleep is another major issue, as I get 4 hours sleep, then wake up for suhoor, pray and go back to sleep again for another 3 hours before going to work. I feel I can't cope any more, this effort is just beyond me. I'm starting to forget and make mistakes at work. I also feel like a total failure as a Muslim. What can I do?"

Answer

Ustadha Ameena Blake
19 May, 2020

Short Answer:

  • Allah says that Islam is not meant to be rough or tough upon us dear brothers and sisters. But sometimes we make it tough upon ourselves..right?
  • You must have mercy on yourself and take the mercy that Allah is offering you and don’t fast on your workdays if you are genuinely being damaged by this physically. If it is making you ill. Then you can miss those days and make them up later over the year before the next Ramadan in shaa Allah.

………….

In the Name of Allah, most Gracious most Merciful.

Assalamo alaikom warahamtullahi wabarakatuhu.

Help! My Tough Job Means Fasting Makes Me Sick!

My dear brothers and sisters very often people have very tough jobs to do. And that might not necessarily mean building on a worksite or having a physical job.

But also there are other physical and mentally difficult jobs such as teaching which involves standing for 8-10 hours a day sometimes, Subhanallah. Which makes fasting very difficult. So what about these people.

We have a sister who asked us this exact question. She was feeling the fast was so difficult. She is a new sister, a new Muslim. It is really her first year of proper Ramadan. This time last year she is not even Muslim, SubhanAllah.

Yet she was beating up in herself. Feeling that she was not achieving anything and that she is a failure. I know there are some other people out there who are feeling the same way.

Closeness to Allah

Now the very fact that this sister is worrying is an amazing sign. What does this show? It shows that this sister wants to be close to Allah. She wants so desperately to fulfill the fard(the obligatory things that Allah tells us to do.

Fasting is enjoined on us. As we know Allah mentions this in the Quran. Why? So, that we may achieve what? Taqwa.

But fasting is also a personal journey of ibadah(worship).

According to a hadith in An-Nasaai, Prophet Muhammad says:

As far as the act of worship are concerned there is nothing the same as fasting.

Allah describes why we fast:

So that you may become righteous (Quran 2:183)

Ramadan: Striving for Taqwa

The righteous people are greatly honored in the eyes of Allah, and the spirit of Ramadan is not just the fast. It is also becoming more aware of Allah. Becoming closer to Allah. Becoming one of those who have taqwa.

Allah says that Islam is not meant to be rough or tough upon us dear brothers and sisters. But sometimes we make it tough upon ourselves..right?

Allah is the most Gracious most Merciful. He says in Al-Araf 7: 156:

My Mercy embraces all things. (Quran 7: 156)

This is very beautiful, that we know that Allah has mercy in everything.

Amazing Parallel

Prophet Muhammad said when he saw a woman who had been separated from her child. This is an amazing hadith. A beautiful story that teaches us a lesson about Allah’s mercy.

This lady has lost her child and she is running around. Imagine sisters that this is you. And then she becomes reunited with her baby. The first thing that she does is begin to feed the child. To create this bond again. Imagine she is running around, she is going crazy looking for her baby.

Prophet Muhammad said to the companions that were around him. he said do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire? Of course, they answered, “no, of course not! not if she could help it.”

Prophet Muhammad then said something so amazing. Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this woman is to her child. (Agreed upon hadith)

Allah’s Mercy

Let’s look at the matter in question. Now I have given you a little bit of foundation. Thinking about Allah’s mercy. Thinking about Allah’s kindness. Thinking that Allah does not want hardship on us. He wants ease on us.

But, we must approach our relationship with Allah with certain expectations. This is very important my brothers and sisters.

I am going to ask you what do you expect from Allah now you know how huge his mercy actually is. Whilst describing this month, the month of Ramadaan. Allah also says and this is in the same verse in Chapter Albaqarah, verse 185)

Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship. (Quran 2:185)

In this case, those who are sick or who are on a journey are mentioned that they are excused and should make up the days later.

Workers who have difficult hours and jobs to the extent that it is making them physically sick. They fall into this category of receiving Allah’s mercy.

Scholarly Opinions

Now, the scholarly opinions of the people who are sick or fear sickness. There are 4 of these that are generally agreed upon.

  1. The person who is not able to fast or is legitimately afraid of sickness or illness or who is suffering a weakness, if s/he fasts in this case the person should break his/her fast. It is actually an obligation to do so, why? Let’s go back to what the Quran says: Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship
  2. The one who is able to fast, but if they fast imposes on that person a lot of hardship. You can fast but it is going to be very difficult for you to fast.
  3. This is the one who can fast but with great hardship and they are afraid that fasting may make the sickness worse. Now there are different scholarly opinions on this particular item. Some of the schools will say that this person must fast and some other schools say that this person would actually break the fast.
  4. The person who is fasting but for who fasting does not present any real physical danger, they are not actually going to get sick for fasting. It is just really really difficult. In this case, it is agreed upon by the majority that that person must fast. Because difficulty is different from harm.

But this is a matter of personal ijtihad. Only you can decide which category of sickness you fall into. Only you and Allah know your level of toleration and the difficulty that you are personally feeling..right? It is a spiritual matter between the Creator and the created.

You are Amazing: Embrace it

My dear sister, you told me some amazing and beautiful things about yourself.

  1. You told me that you are a Muslim and that you are a new Muslim.
  2. You told me that you are a hard worker. You work 2 jobs. You are standing on your feet sometimes for 8 hours a day and this is very difficult.
  3. You are striving to please Allah. You are getting up for Suhoor. You are fasting and praying. What an amazing Muslim that makes you.
  4. You are also self-evaluating and this is something very important for us to do. We can not just carry on like a bull in a China shop. Keep damaging and damaging and damaging ourselves until we become sick from something that is not meant to harm us. It is not acceptable. We have to be realistic with our physical capabilities. You must open your eyes and so how successful you are already and how amazing you are, SubhanAllah.

In a Nutshell

You don’t have to put yourself through the hardship of fasting to the point of restricting yourself. This is not about Islam. You must have mercy on yourself and take the mercy that Allah is offering you and don’t fast on your workdays if you are genuinely being damaged by this physically. If it is making you ill. Then you can miss those days and make them up later over the year before the next Ramadan in shaa Allah.

I am going to finish off with good news flash for you and anybody like you. There is. hadith:

When someone intends a good deed and does not do it, then Allah will write it for them a full good deed.

If you were not working you would be fasting and praying. So, good news the rewards for the intentions of the good deeds it will be as if you fasted anyway.

When you make up these fasts you will get further rewards.

Jazakum Allahu Khayr.

Assalamo alaikom warahamtullahi wabarakatuhu.

Edited with slight modifications

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

Ease in Ramadan?
How to Make Fasting in Hot Months Easier?

Can We Exercise While Fasting?

Sickness sickness and fasting Ramadan 2020
About Ustadha Ameena Blake
From Sheffield, UK; Ustadha Ameena Blake embraced Islam in 1992. Her academic qualifications include undergraduate in English Studies, Post Graduate in teaching, MSc in Leadership and Management and MA in Islamic Studies. Ameena has been active since 1994 having studied under various shuyukh and academics including Dr Jamal Badawi, Sh Abdul Aziz Atiq (Yemen), Sh Faisal Manjoo, Dr Atullah Siddiqui and others. Roles have included Vice President of MAB, Assistant Secretary General of the MCB and Head teacher of a girl’s Islamic school. She is founding director of the EHUK women’s refuge project and is a lecturer at Markfield Institute of Higher Education. She also sits on Mosque boards and is an Islamic advisor on Halal Guide. Ustadha Ameena lectures about Islam nationally and internationally and has appeared at conferences, fundraisers and events across the globe. Her topics include tazkiyah, women in the Quran, dawah and Seerah and others. She delivers regular live interactive lectures on Facebook and has appeared on channels including Channel 4, Sky TV, The Islam channel, BBC radio, Iqraa TV and others.