How Can I Fast Ramadan Without My Non-Muslim Parents Knowing?

📩Question

I haven't told my family yet about converting to Islam and I live at home, how can I manage fasting?

📝Answer

A’isha reported: I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:


There is nothing (in the form of trouble) that comes to a believer even if it is the pricking of a thorn that there is decreed for him by Allah good or his sins are obliterated. [ Sahih Muslim  ]


And Allah says (translation of the meaning):

“Say, ‘[God says], believing servants, be mindful of your Lord! Those who do good in this world will have a good reward–– God’s earth is wide––and those who persevere patiently will be given a full and unstinting reward.’ (Quran 39: 10)

Seeking Allah’s Help: The Essence of Worship

The first advice is to seek the help of Allah [swt] earnestly. It is not a coincidence that Allah taught us to recite 17 times through our 5 daily prayers:


“It is You we worship and You we ask for help.” (Quran 1: 5)

This is a reminder that we don’t just worship Allah, we need His Incomparable Help to remain on the straight path.

So make daily, sincere,  heartfelt dua (supplication) to Allah to guide and help you, and guide and soften your parents’ hearts.


We know of many stories of new Muslims whose family were not accepting of Islam, or were hostile even… and later the entire family accepted Islam. So, nothing is impossible for Allah.

Also, remember the Beautiful Names & Attributes of Allah  to increase your faith in Him and reliance upon Him.

Remember that Allah is Al-Waly (The Guardian Lord), Al-Wakeel (The Trustworthy Disposer of Affairs), An-Naseer (The Helper), Al Qawiyy (The One Perfect in Strength), Al-Qareeb (The One Who is Near to the Servants)…. So call upon Allah and trust Him and rely upon Him.

This situation could be what deepens your bond with Allah and connection with Him, and increases your faith and love for Him, and elevates your status in the hereafter.

Practical Solutions


Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a pillar of Islam and an obligation upon every able bodied Muslim (with a few exemptions  ).


So, we should do our best to fast the month as prescribed.


“O YOU who have attained to faith! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might remain conscious of God” (Quran 2: 183)

In your situation, there are a few things to consider:

1- After making dua (supplication) asking Allah for help and strength, you can inform your parents about embracing of Islam (if there will be no major threat or physical harm anticipated). You can tell them your reasons for accepting Islam, how it appealed to your mind and heart, how it is making you happier, more content and more at peace. Hopefully, also they can see positive change in your character and behavior.

2- If the aforementioned is not possible at all or will be very dangerous, try finding a place, a camp, an activity, an Islamic center or even a Muslim friend’s house to go to regularly during the month of Ramadan.

3- Speak to your local mosque/Islamic Center/Muslim friends nearby whether offline or online about the help they can offer you during this month. They should be able to help you and open their doors for you whether to spend time during Ramadan, or break the fast there or any regular help they can offer according to their capacity.

4- If all the above is not possible, then try to fast secretly as much as you can. Have the intention to fast the whole month before the month starts, and then take it every day at a time. Every day try to fast secretly, spend most of the day outdoors or working on something/project in your room for example….etc. until sunset. If one day you failed to avoid them and you felt threatened to continue fasting or to tell them, then you can break your fast with the intention of making up this day when you are able and in better circumstances.

 some of these tips such as (spending more time outside)may not be practical these days ; so apply what you can , and be creative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXsr4k4C7Ps

💎Maximise your rewards this Ramadan(part 1 of 2):


🎯Simple good deeds, huge rewards:

The month of Ramadaan is the month of great gains and profits. 

⚖️So make the most of this month by doing lots of acts of worship...

There are many kinds of worship in Ramadan,  such as fasting, praying qiyaam, feeding the poor, i’tikaaf, sadaqah, and reading Qur’aan, making du’aa ,reciting thikr...

I ask Allah, the Exalted, the Almighty, to help us all to do that and to help us to fast and pray qiyaam, and to do acts of worship and to avoid doing evil. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

3️⃣_ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are two statements that are light for the tongue to remember, heavy in the Scales and are dear to the Merciful: 'Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-Adtheem [Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, (and) Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection]'."


[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

4️⃣-    Whoever says:


“‘Subhan-Allahi wa-bi-hamdi-hi.’


100 times, his sins will be removed from him even if they are like the foam on the ocean.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Maximise your rewards this Ramadan(part 2 of 2):


Simple good deeds, huge rewards:

Whoever reflects upon the immense reward for these few words will understand the virtue of athkaar (remembrance of Allah). It is appropriate for every Muslim, man or woman, to be keen to remember Allah and to keep his tongue moist with athkaar and fill the record of his deeds therewith.

#️⃣ One of the du’aa’s which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us to say in the morning and evening is as follows:

1️⃣The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who recites three times every morning and evening: 'Bismillahil-lathi la yadurru ma'as-mihi shai'un fil-ardi wa la fis-sama'i, wa Huwas-Sami'ul-'Alim (In the Name of Allah with Whose Name nothing on earth or in the heaven can cause harm, and He is All-Hearing and All-Knowing),' nothing will harm him."

[Abu Dawud and At- Tirmidhi].


\


2️⃣ Khaula bint Hakim Sulamiyya  reported:


I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: When any one of you stays at a place, he should say:"A’uthu bikalimatil-lahit-tammati min sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created)." Nothing would then do him any harm until he moves from that place. Abu Huraira reported that a person came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said:" Allah's Messenger, I was stung by a scorpion during the night. Thereupon he said: Had you recited these words in the evening:"A’udhu bikalimatil-lahit-tammati min sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created).", it would not have done any harm to you.

[Muslim]

3️⃣The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best supplication for seeking forgiveness (Syed-ul- Istighfar) is to say: 'Allahumma Anta Rabbi, la ilaha illa Anta, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu, a'udhu bika min sharri ma sana'tu, abu'u laka bini'matika 'alayya, wa abu'u bidhanbi faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa Anta. (O Allah! You are my Lord. There is no true god except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave, and I hold to Your Covenant as far as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me, and I confess my sins. Pardon me, for none but You has the power to pardon).' He who supplicates in these terms during the day with firm belief in it and dies on the same day (before the evening), he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah; and if anyone supplicates in these terms during the night with firm belief in it and dies before the morning, he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah."


[Al-Bukhari].

4️⃣ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who utters a hundred times in a day these words: 'La ilaha illallahu, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 'ala kulli sha'in Qadir (there is no true god except Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent),' he will have a reward equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his credit, hundred of his sins will be blotted out from his scroll, and he will be safeguarded against the devil on that day till the evening; and no one will exceed him in doing more excellent good deeds except someone who has recited these words more often than him.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

5️⃣ Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith (May Allah be pleased with her), the Mother of the Believers, reported:


The Prophet (ﷺ) came out from my apartment in the morning as I was busy in performing the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon and found me sitting there. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Are you still in the same position as I left you." I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon the Prophet said, "I recited four words three times after I had left you. If these are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these will be heavier. These are:Subhan Allah adada khalqihi, subhan Allah rida nafsihi, Subhan Allah zinata 'arshihi, Subhan Allah midada Kalimatih(Glory is to Allah the number of His creation, glory is to Allah as much as pleases Him, glory is to Allah the weight of His throne, glory is to Allah the extent of His Words)".


[Muslim].