[Showkat]

12 Excuses why some Muslims don’t fast
By Showkat ali

We all know people who don’t fast and others who make excuses not to fast. The excuses below are not an exhaustive list but just some of the excuses which people give not to fast. The objective is not to ridicule individuals who are astray from Islam and victims of the predominant culture around us, but rather for us to be aware that not every single Muslim fasts and they all give different excuses which we should be able to refute and explain to them why they should fast.

In some cases confusion exists about fasting itself, and in others people are confused about their Islamic identity and belief itself.

1. I don’t pray so why should I fast

I normally just about attend jummah now and again and havn’t prayed in ages, well not quite ages, the last time I prayed was my dad’s janazah a few years ago. So why should I fast when I don’t even pray 5 time’s day?

2. it’s my choice, we live in a free country

Yes one of the things I love about Britain apart from its women, clubbing and booze is the fact that everyone can live and behave as they wish. Even parents can’t control your life after 16 and the police can only nick you if you break the law. So yes I choose not to fast, no law against not fasting is there?

3. It clashes with my exams

My exams are so so important, parents got expectations for me to do well and go and study medicine and become a Dr Saaab, and then go back home and marry the politician’s daughter and raise our family’s status sky high. Fasting is tough especially when I got exams, and when I fast I noticed that it’s hard to concentrate and do well in your exams.

4. I have a busy lifestyle and demanding job

My life is so stressful and busy; I got so many projects on the go. I start at 8 and finish at 8, and even work on my laptop on the train as well as bring work home. I suppose when your earning over 85k the company expects you to be fully committed and my boss told me at interview “ this aint a job, this is your life, so treat it accordingly”, and in all honesty I have, so I cant afford to fast a whole month. ‘God why couldn’t Ramadhan be for a few days over the bank holidays ‘

5. None of my mates fast

All my mates are integrated and proud to be British and don’t really bother with backward traditions from bong bongo land, we were born here and this is our country and its traditions are ours and fasting is so silly. “What’s the point of going without food and drink as well as sex for a whole month? “

6. I'm not ready for it yet

At the moment I’m just chilling and enjoying life, I’m only 25 so I got the whole of my life left until I die in my 80s, so what’s the rush for? I’ll start in a few years time and continue how I mean to go on

7. I only fast when the days are short

Fasting in the winter used to be so cool, I mean me and my mates would eat sehri and go to bed really late then wake up about 2pm and its nearly iftar time. We’d put on a DVD and before it’s over you hear the maghrib Azaan. Nowadays fasts are getting longer and even if you wake up at 2pm its still a long way to go. InshAllah when the fasts get shorter again in about 10 years time I’ll start fasting.

8. I've done about 16/17 I think it’s enough

I usually do about 16/17 just over the half way mark which I think is enough sacrifice for the religion, I know some people who do less so I am better than most people I know.

9. Its dangerous to fast and drive

Someone told me that its fard in Islam not to do anything that endangers your life as well as other peoples, so I drive a lot in my job and its dangerous to drive and fast, in case you cause an accident, so that’s my excuse why I don’t fast.

10. I get bad breath, cracked lips and look terrible

Yeah I’m very fashion conscious and cracked lips, bad breath and bags under my eyes make me look like an old bag, despite tons of make up. So I prefer to leave fasting until I get old, in which case looking terrible as a result of fasting wont matter since I will look terrible anyway.

11. I don’t want to put on any weight; I worked so hard to get a figure like this.
I always gain weight in Ramadhan no matter how little I eat for Sehri and iftar and my clothes become even tighter than usual. It seems a waste working hard to get a nice figure and then by fasting a whole month you lose it and its back to square one after Eid.

12. Non-Muslims say bad things and give sad looks
This really ps me off, when non-Muslims feel sorry for you and pity you and say “ ahh, they have to go without food and drink for their God”. Some even give you sad, pitying looks and the nasty ones talk about you in the canteen and say that I’m a fanatic. So to avoid all this I prefer not to fast.

Please list the excuses you have heard and add to the list if you so wish

[ChotooMotoo]

There are actual valid reasons not to fast. Lists like these are nice, but please don't judge your brothers and sisters who are not fasting according to this list.

[Anderson]

Every Muslim I know fasts, alhamdulillah.

My cousin doesn't fast but he's 8.

I'll add an excuse regardless:

13. Heavy Flow.

[tinkerbell]

ummm... my mother doesn't fast because of her health.

[PhDGirl]

Originally Posted by ChotooMotoo

There are actual valid reasons not to fast. Lists like these are nice, but please don't judge your brothers and sisters who are not fasting according to this list.

Yes, you never know what is going on with someone. On that note, brothers, if you see a sister not fasting, don't ask her why she's not fasting and then invite her to pray. Use your head.

[Anderson]

Originally Posted by PhDGirl

Yes, you never know what is going on with someone. On that note, brothers, if you see a sister not fasting, don't ask her why she's not fasting and then invite her to pray. Use your head.

This point was covered in excuse 13.

[PhDGirl]

Originally Posted by Anderson

This point was covered in excuse 13.

Haha - I saw that. But that's not an excuse like those on the list, but a valid reason.

[Musashi]

Asallamu 'alaikum wa rahmatulLahi wa barakatuh

People like that are PATHETIC. 9_9;

Er, yeah, of course there are valid reasons too. Everyone /should/ know that.

The funny thing is, most people won't ask me to come pray unless I'm on my period and then suddenly, it's like every other prayer at least twice a week people are like 'did you pray?' 'it's time to pray!' and I'm like 'uuuh, I can't pray...'

Kinda awkward. xD

[Revert]

No one I know is fasting this year, pray for them inshaAllah.

May Allah reward those that fast with good intentions and may he bring those who don't to the right path. May Allah help us all during this holy time.

[nooni]

Originally Posted by PhDGirl

Yes, you never know what is going on with someone. On that note, brothers, if you see a sister not fasting, don't ask her why she's not fasting and then invite her to pray. Use your head.

LOL.

true story...

I was in campus first day of ramadan (few yrs ago) not fasting and eating lunch, and a muslim guy saw me, "understood", passed by and moved on. this continued for the rest of ramadan.

towards the end of that ramadan, he comes up to me and hes like...

muslim guy: "salam sister, i noticed that you have not fasted at all this month of ramadan and i do noe that sometimes sisters cant fast for a week or so. You should really think about what you are doing..."

me: IM A DIABETIC!!!!!


moral of story: dont EVER ask or feel its ur right to ask.

[Purple_alien]

I never question why someone I know is Muslim isn't fasting. Maybe they have an illness they don't want to talk about. Who am I to judge?
It's like when I was in school. THere were 10 of us. 5 fasted and 5 didn't. I don't mind the not fasting, but don't like, go to McDonald's and get some sausage bacon sandwich. Pork is just wrong... If they eat permissible food, whatever.

[PhDGirl]

Originally Posted by nooni

LOL.

true story...

I was in campus first day of ramadan (few yrs ago) not fasting and eating lunch, and a muslim guy saw me, "understood", passed by and moved on. this continued for the rest of ramadan.

towards the end of that ramadan, he comes up to me and hes like...

muslim guy: "salam sister, i noticed that you have not fasted at all this month of ramadan and i do noe that sometimes sisters cant fast for a week or so. You should really think about what you are doing..."

me: IM A DIABETIC!!!!!


moral of story: dont EVER ask or feel its ur right to ask.

That's pretty funny - did he apologize or anything?

[Blue_Phoenix]

Wow, a lot of those excuses are merely excuses. There's a kind of discipline to fasting.

[Yahya]

Assalamualaikum

Theres a reason behind all these excuses, they dont understand why they should be fasting in the first place, many dont even know (difference between just knowing and understanding and accepting)

Unfortunatley, this in turn is because many have no real knowledge or understanding about their faith and what theyre supposed to believe, it is merely something which they have been brought up into; the consequences of which is weak faith.

Although they may be to blame to a certain extent, we need to look at our selves and see what part weve played in providing that knowledge and understanding.

wassalamulaikum warahmatullah
Yahya

[Timbit]

Even if I'm not fasting, I tend to not eat in public anyway.

But the first excuse, even though it's not valid, has a lot of pull for some people. They think that if they don't pray or anything the rest of the time, then why fast during Ramadan? Are they gonna pray just for Ramadan and then stop again? It's like... "Why wear hijab if I don't pray or fast or do the other stuff that's fard? I'll just be pretending to be a good Muslim when I'm not."

About the cracked lips... can you wear chapstick while fasting?
The breath doesn't get that bad. I mean, you're still doing wudu and gargling with water, right? So if you use hot water, it kind of kills the stench. But you don't have to get that close to people.