Fasting for Diabetic Patients During Ramadan - A Working Muslim: I Don’t Feel Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Hijri calendar. It is the month during which virtuous and devout populaces of Islam fast from Suhur at sunrise to Iftar at sunset.
This takes place without the consumption of water and food throughout the fast whilst keeping thoughts pure and practicing prayers and work.
Fasting during Ramadan is undertaken to promote chastity and humility and as an act of submission to Allah. Muslims from all walks of life resolve to fast during this holy month.
This includes the rich & poor, fit or sick, old and young, just about everyone. But some overlook the repercussions fasting could have on their health.
Since Ramadan is a lunar-based month, its duration varies between 29 and 30 days and the duration of the fast depends on the seasons and geographical locations, ranging from 9 to 22 hours.
This can take a serious toll on bodies that are even at a slight risk or affected by diseases such as diabetes which is one of the most common conditions caused by a combination of factors.
We help clarify the myths surrounding diabetes, repercussions on fasting with diabetes and precautions to stay healthy during Ramadan.
Diabetes can mainly be categorized as Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. This includes people with poorly controlled diabetes, people with type 1 diabetes who take insulin or type 2 on a mixed insulin regimen or those who often have very high or very low blood glucose levels.
Under normal circumstances, diabetic patients are expected to eat every three hours and avoid fried, greasy and sweet food along with having medicines on time.
But this gets extremely difficult to follow during fasts thus forcing patients to generally take their medicines during Suhur and Iftar.
Diabetic patients must maintain extreme precaution if they are to undertake fasting and should do so under expert supervision.
Since fasting allows mainly two meals during the course of 24 hours including medications, diabetic patients must adjust their treatment plan according to the change in consumption patterns which eventually results in a change in metabolism.
Fasting can lead to complications such as Hypoglycemia which is deficiency of glucose in the bloodstream, Hyperglycemia which is an excessive increase in blood sugar levels or dehydration; diabetic patients experiencing the aforementioned in any form must discontinue fasting immediately.
Ramadan
Diabetic Ketoacidosis is another serious complication that can arise; causing vomiting, dehydration, breathlessness and even coma.
Patients with type 1 diabetes who have a history of recurrent hypoglycemia are at a higher risk if they fast.
Hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia may also occur in patients with type 2 diabetes but are generally less frequent and with less severe consequences as compared to patients with type1 diabetes resulting in seizures and unconsciousness.
Precautions During Ramadan
In case a diabetic patient wishes to fast, he or she must do so under the guidance and advice from experts and are recommended to break their fast immediately, if any warning signs occur.
It is highly advised amongst diabetes patients to go through health assessments months before Ramadan to discuss meal patterns and medicines.
Also, it is highly recommended that glucose level must be checked at least once a day.
It must be noted that despite the fasting, Ramadan is a month of festivity, and regardless of the geographies, a celebratory fare is prepared which includes food high in sugar and cholesterol content.
This must be avoided under all circumstances especially the consumption of highly refined and fatty food.
Diabetes patients are advised to consume a liberal amount of carbohydrates & high-calorie food along with fresh fruits and green vegetables, pulses, multigrain & wholegrain with increased fluid intake during Suhur.
Beverages containing caffeine and fried fatty foods should be avoided since they increase the risk of dehydration.
Apart from precautions in meals, sleep is also an important factor. An average person should get a minimum of six hours of sleep daily. It is recommended that a person should sleep at least 2-3 hours after Suhur.
While some people choose to overlook their health complications in order to fast, it must be noted that the idea of fasting isn’t to create excessive hardship on any Muslim individual let alone people suffering from various health complications and diseases including life-threatening ones as diabetes.
The Holy Qur’an specifically exempts anyone who is sick from fasting, especially if it may lead to harmful consequences for the individual involved.
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder placing patients at a high risk of various complications if fasting is undertaken considering the disparity in the amount of food and liquid intake as well as the pattern and odd hours.
The Prophet Mohammad (Peace & Blessings be upon Him) said, “God likes His permission to be fulfilled, as he likes His will to be executed.” So the exemption is more than just a simple consent to not fast.
Only a healthy body can harbor a healthy mind to last the worship and dedication the month of Ramadan bestows upon us.
8 To-dos for Better Taqwa in Ramadan
There are some important things that we should do during Ramadan to take better advantage of this month and to achieve its real purpose, namely, taqwa. These are some reminders and they are all taken from the guidelines given to us in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
📚 Read Also: 5 Ways Ramadan Enhances Your Taqwa
1. Niyyah (intention)
Remind yourself again and again that you are fasting in obedience to Allah. Be sincere in your intention. You want Allah to accept your fasting. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Whosoever fasts in Ramadan with faith and seeking Allah’s reward, all his past sins will be forgiven.”(Al-Bukhari)
2. Sunnah
Observe the Sunnah in fasting. Take the sahur meal a little before dawn and end your fast at sunset. Observe all the rules of fasting.
3. Wara’ (avoiding everything haram or makruh):
Be conscious to have halal food,halal income, halal relations. Avoid watching bad TV programs, videos, movies, etc., always, but especially during this month. Keep your body and mind very clean. Avoid wasting your time in useless things and pursuits.
4. Qur’an
Spend more time with the Qur’an. Read Qur’an every day. Try to finish the whole Qur’an at least one time during this month in your own personal reading. Read some Hadith and the books of seerah.
5. Prayer, supplication, and remembrance of Allah
Pray on time and observe all Prayers. Do not ignore the Tarawih Prayers. Make more supererogatory prayers.
Do as much worship as you can. Do more dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and du`aa’(supplication) for yourself and for others.
Make tawbah (repentance) and istighfar(request for Allah’s forgiveness) as much as you can. This is the best time for devotion and seeking Allah’s forgiveness. Seek the Night of Qadar by special devotion during the last 10 nights of this month.
6. Zakah, charity, and generosity
What Is the Meaning of Zakah? Is It a Hebrew Word?
What Is the Meaning of Zakah? Is It a Hebrew Word?
Be very charitable and generous. Give more and more to help the poor and needy, and to help good social and community projects. Be good to your friends and neighbors also. Let your non-Muslim neighbors and co-workers know that this is your blessed and sacred time.
7. Good behavior and relations with others
Try to be extra kind and courteous during this month. Forget your quarrels and disputes. Reconcile and forgive. Do not get involved in backbiting, lying, cheating, and anything that is wrong. Be very good to Muslims and to all human beings.
8. Reflection
Think, reflect, and plan to improve the moral and spiritual condition of your own self and your family. Think about any wrong things and sins you may have been doing and correct yourself. List any deficiencies you have in your Islamic observances and plan to change yourself. Think what you can do for the Ummah and for humanity to make this world a better place for everyone.
It is reported in the Bible that the Children of Israel used to fast, but they complained to their prophet that they were not receiving God’s blessings. God was not answering their prayers.
It is reported that God revealed to His Prophet:
“Why have we fasted, and thou seest it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and thou takest no knowledge of it?” Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. (Isaiah 58:3-9)
May Allah help us to take full benefit of fasting in this blessed month of Ramadan. May He keep us on the right path and bless us now and always. Ameen!
A Working Muslim: I Don’t Feel Ramadan
QSalam. I am working night shifts and feeling exhausted throughout the days. The long hours of fasting and very short hours between Isha and Fajr, in addition, make it even worse. I don’t have any chance to pray tarawih, read Quran or engage in other kinds of worships. I really wish to benefit from Ramadan, but I honestly just feel suffering. What can I do? I like my job otherwise, but I am unable to take a month off from work.
ANSWER
In this counseling answer:
In Ramadan, Muslims should organize their time according to their abilities. Even if you are a working Muslim, there are many ways to benefit from this blessed month. You can read at least a few verses from the Quran after each prayer or whenever you have a break at work; say the dhikr while going to work or listen to the Quran, or just raise your hands and talk to Allah (swt). Remember also that Allah (swt) looks at our intention.
As-Salamu ‘Alaykum brother,
While I am not sure of your exact hours of work, nor if you have a family and responsibilities at home, I only know you work a night shift, which I can assume that your sleeping time should be during the day. Let’s say you work from 12 am till 8 am. When you make Magrib prayer and break your fast (Iftar), you should also be able to do Isha prayer before you go to work. While not knowing how close a mosque is to your place of employment, you may be able to pray Magrib at a mosque and share in Iftar as well as Isha prayer.
However, as you stated, if you work at 12 am, you may not have enough time to do all of the tarawih prayers, but may be able to get a few in before you go to work.
At work, take your break to have suhoor and make Fajr prayer. After that you would go home to sleep for let’s say 4 hours (awake for Dhuhr) then return to sleep and awake maybe 4 hours later to give you enough time to do a few things around the house, shower, prepare for work and pray Asr.
Alternatively (and you may want to consult our “Ask the Scholar” section), you could pray Dhuhr and Asr prayer almost together, as long as you wake up in time to do Dhuhr right it goes out and before you do Asr prayer. This would give you longer and better quality sleep during the day while still staying within Islamic laws for prayers. Islamqa states regarding this “It is actually possible to “seemingly” join any two prayers in any of the four schools of Islamic Law. The way to do this is to wake up shortly before one prayer time expires, perform the prayer before the exiting of the time, wait a couple of minutes until the entrance of the next prayer time, perform that prayer immediately, and then get back to sleep. Effectively, this is just like the “actual” joining of prayers. The only difference is that you don’t have flexibility in picking the time to join prayers.”
As far as reading Qur’an, I know some people who read a portion of Qur’an right after each prayer which also helps with time management as well as organizing your activities. While it may be difficult, brother, there are some creative ways in which you can feel the experience of Ramadan and still get your sleep during the day to feel refreshed.
Also, give yourself five minutes – just you and Allah (swt). Sit and raise your hands and share what is in your heart with Him in your own words, even though He is well aware of it. Allow the burden of your frustration with yourself to be lifted off your shoulders and into His Hands. Also, be easy on ourselves as Allah (swt) is easy on us.
As you speak to Him, remind yourself that everything you do can be an act of worship in which to draw nearer to Him. Even the mundane can be worship. Brushing your teeth to follow the Prophetic tradition, to maintain the health of your body, to have great smelling breath for your loved ones and the angels who surround you is an act of worship in and of itself. Smiling at your parents, kissing your spouse, texting a friend to brighten their day; all of those are acts of worship in and of themselves. Your entire life, your entire day is filled with actions which could all be acts of worship, simply through your intention.
So, you see, dear brother, there are many ways in Ramadan in which we can do acts of worship in addition to the fard responsibilities. When our jobs are night shifts, we must become creative!
Also, remember that Allah (swt) looks at our intention. “In His mercy, He will reward you anyway for all of what you planned to do but could not”. So while you may desire to complete many traditional and festive Ramadan activities, you may only be able to complete half due to your work schedule. However, Allah in His mercy count our intention, and in sha’ Allah, Muslims using creativity may be able to enjoy a lot more of Ramadan activities than they thought possible. It’s a matter of perspective and time management. Please see the additional links for more tips.
We wish you Happy and blessed Ramadan brother, and we hope these tips have helped in some small way.
