Deen Talk! Mental/Physical Illness, Disability, and Ramadan.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Assalaamu alaikum! This blog post is on Ramadan and what we can do if we are unable and exempt from fasting. This is a really tough subject for a lot of Muslims, especially ones who suffer from mental illness. Because there is so much stigma in our communities, people feel that their mental health should be sacrificed in order to fast, when, in reality, they are exempt from fasting due to having medication which cannot be moved to night time or because of the illness itself. 

Those who are exempt: 

1. Those who have medicine to take throughout the day which cannot be moved to dark or pre-dawn hours.
2. Those who are ill or will become legitimately ill by fasting (this would include those who would relapse from eating disorders as well as those who have hypoglycemia or suffer hypoglycemic attacks when fasting - please consult your doctor). 
3. Those who are on their period. 
4. Those who are pregnant. 

To quote my lovely scholar-friend (whom I've been referencing oh so much!), Tuscany: 

"...if you are exempt, take it as a mercy on you that He has made fasting haram for you. Fasting is a hollistic thing so everything like no food, no water, no sex, etc. is all under the same umbrella and there is no partial fasting. In the event you [can't] fast for medical reasons, it is required you feed the poor or free a slave but in this day and age, people just feed the poor."

So, if we can't fast, what can we do?

Focus on bettering your relationship with your Rabb! Read the entire Quran, in Arabic or the language of your choice. Practice reading the Quran in Arabic (every letter read gives one reward when it's NOT Ramadan, so imagine the reward DURING Ramadan!). Learn 3-4 of the 99 names of Allah ta'ala every day and embrace the attributes within yourself. Read about or watch/listen to the Seerah of our beloved Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi w salaam, and empower yourself to emulate his best characteristics. Feed the poor, help the needy, make lots of duaa for those around you. Give Dawah to those whom you love; every night in Ramadan, Allah subhana w ta'ala chooses people to be saved from the Hell Fire. 

Jazakum Allahu khairan w Ramadan Mubarak w Kareem!

Sajida.