Islamic marriage advice and family advice

My illness means I should not fast – I feel ashamed

Asalam wa alekum,

I am currently in treatment for anorexia Nervosa which I've been struggling with for the past 5 in a half years. Since I've been in treatment,(10 months) I was not allowed to fast last Ramadan (for obvious reasons) and I feel so bad and guilty for it. My treatment has been ok, I'm improving a lot hamdullah, but there is still a lot of set backs. Anyways I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to fast anymore and if I were to fast I would have to be fully recovered which might drag out for years. My question is, does this count as sickness for Ramadan? And also if there is anyway during the holy month that I can still participate?

muslimahhamdullah


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2 Responses »

  1. Assalaamualaikam

    Firstly, congratulations on the progress you have made - may Allah guide you to recovery and reward you for the hard work and trials you have faced.

    Anorexia is a serious condition, and fasting during recovery could be bad for your recovery, so I think you'd be justified to not fast while you are recovering - people can be exempted from fasting if their health would be at significant risk.

    You could still participate in a number of ways, inshaAllah. For example, some mosques have projects to feed people who are homeless or lonely - you could get involved as a volunteer. If you have elderly neighbours who might be alone at iftar, you could arrange to visit them or invite them over. You can also still be involved in the preparations and celebrations of your family and friends, and you can still attend prayers and read Quran.

    If a person cannot fast, one option is to feed a person in need - so you could do this, for example, by donating money to a charity providing food for Muslims in Ramadan, or volunteering and donating food to local projects.

    Midnightmoon
    IslamicAnswers.com editor

  2. I agree with above advice

    I would also like to add is do not fast. Your condition/health comes first you shouldn't feel guilty about this all. The process of getting better is important and may you continue to get better inshAllah.

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