This Ramadan, use the KISS Method!
22 August 2009
4 Comments
IMAGE © Bruno Ehrs/Corbis
Amina stares at the juicy dates silently.
Her break from fasting is not as easy as she thought. She misses the silent hours she would devote to Allah. She still prays but ibadaah has a unique flavor on an empty stomach.
Her two younger brothers sigh as they endure another minute of hunger.
”How come Amina is not fasting?” asks Emad.
His mom tries to ignore the question but his twin brother Ahmad insists on knowing.
“Yeah, how come? She looks fine to me. She had a nice lunch. And she doesn’t look sick to me”, remarks Ahmad.
“It’s not my choice”, says Amina.
“The doctor told me not to fast because of my Bipolar meds.”
“I wouldn’t mind being Bipolar now”, murmurs Emad under his breath.
To fast or not to fast, that is the question. Having some diseases can make it easy to answer this question. But with a mood disorder like Bipolar, the answer does’t come so fast (no pun intended).
After denying, dealing, recovering and finally mastering Bipolar for over 5 years, I’ve come to one conclusion for Ramadan: use the KISS method – Keep It Simple, Sister 
What does the KISS method entail?
1. Stick to the basics i.e. make sure you always offer your fardh (compulsory) salah and do suhoor even with a bowl of fruits and some water on your night stand. Then add on optional ibadaah as needed.
2. Eat healthy. That means lots of water after sunset, veggies, fruits and multi-grains. Skip the spicy, oily and sugary poisonous foods waiting to attack your arteries and precious heart.
3. Du’a, du’a, du’a. This just cannot be emphasized enough. My soul feeds off of du’a. Make du’a in your sujood for an easy Ramadan. Have your du’a list handy when you open your fast. And while you’re at it, would you squeeze me on the list too, s’il vous plait? Merci beaucoup!
4. If your Muslim doctor (not doctor who happens to be Muslim) tells you to leave fasting because of your medical condition, then you need to listen to him/her.
5. Can’t get hold of a trustworthy Muslim doctor? Here’s what I did when I couldn’t find one: I asked a shaykh, a regular doctor, my mom, made du’a (istikhara is the best) and used my mind objectively. In nutshell, I consulted various people, made du’a and went with the best decision for me.
In the end, I can’t give you a full yes or a full no on whether you should fast. Just as you might take lithium and I might take depakote for the same mood disorder, we might have different prescriptions for the same Ramadan.
Do your best to find out if you’re allowed with Bipolar. That is your duty, especially with a pillar like fasting.
Then follow the above 5 steps to “KISS” your worries good bye.
Questions? Comments? Or you simply want to share how your Ramadan is going? Then leave a comment. I love to read your words. Ramadan Mubarak~Kareem.
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Asalaam u alaikum Saba,
I am really glad that you brought up this subject. SubhanAllah it is a difficult one for Muslim sisters with bipolar, or other forms of illness. For me I am not able to fast. The combination of meds all through out the day, and the mood swings make it to where I can’t fast.
What I do is to make a schedule for myself during Ramadan, so that I can make it beneficial as possible.
I try to make sure, and read at least one Juz a day of Qur’an.
I try to read from other Islamic books each day, and also do the same with my children.
I try to limit my time on the computer.
I try to always pray Taraweeh every night at home, and InshaAllah make more dua during the month.
I try to think about others and give charity when possible.
InshaAllah we can all make this a blessed month even we are not able to fast.
Wishing everyone a wonderful, and blessed Ramadan!
With love,
Tehenita
22 August 2009 at 11:25 am