Spirituality for the Non-Fasting
by Shazia Ahmad

Ramadan is a blessed time of year often characterized by certain specific forms of worship. Fasting, reading Qur’an and performing salah (five times a day prayer) are the main focus of many people’s time and energy during this month. However, for most women a portion of Ramadan – or in some cases the month in its entirety – passes by without being able to engage in these acts due namely to menstruation or postnatal bleeding. Often this leads us to feeling disconnected from the sacredness and specialness of Ramadan and feeling deprived of that spiritual rejuvenation and increase in iman (faith) many believers experience in these days.

In order for us to find a sense of spirituality during this time, we may need to amend our way of thinking about it, and perhaps even the paradigm we construct about ‘ibadah [worship] and spirituality as a whole.