For many Muslims with mental or physical health issues, Ramadan’s fasting requirements can be difficult
“Ramadan is one of the ways that my eating disorder was triggered and that feels like such a shameful thing to say as a Muslim,” says Mian, a Pakistani American, who struggled with anorexia for eight years and has been in recovery for about a year. “It feels like I am making fasting seem like a bad thing; because I fasted, now I have an eating disorder.” The reality is more complicated.are that Muslims abstain from food and drink—as well as sexual activity—from dawn to sunset.
That includes Aleena Khan, a 24-year-old Indian-Pakistani-American living in Washington, D.C. She was diagnosed with a digestive health issue, similar to chronic acid reflux, and doctors advised her to eat smaller meals more frequently instead of infrequent large meals as well as sleep on a regular schedule. “That’s really the opposite of fasting,” Khan says. Initially, Khan tried to fast for half a day or every other day. But in 2020, her condition got “really bad.
Syed, who sees about 25-30 clients a week in the Chicago area, tries to help them understand that they are exempt from fasting requirements as an act of mercy. “That’s something that is really hard for a lot of people to wrap their head around.” If fasting will worsen a Muslim’s mental illness, then it’s better for you not to fast to avoid doing harm to yourself, according to the Islamic scholars that the Khalil Center consults. “We’re commanded not to harm ourselves,” Syed says.
Muslims gather to offer Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India, May 3, 2022. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.Muslims who don’t fast are often on the receiving end of invasive questions from both Muslims and non-Muslims about why they aren’t fasting. It can be a loaded topic—prompting them to disclose sensitive details about their health or level of practice.
Muslims have five pillars to their faith, including fasting during Ramadan: Muslims must profess their faith , pray five times a day , pay charity , fast during Ramadan , and go on a religious pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca . Many of those who can’t fast look for alternative ways to connect with their spirituality. Sheba Khan started going into her children’s school to teach their classmates about Ramadan and started a small business for Ramadan and Eid decorations.
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