I'm fasting today.
Wait, its not Ramadhan yet, true?
Yes.
But, every year, we Muslims (god, that sounds so racist or religionist or something) have to fast during the whole of Ramadhan. And every year, I'll pray that it will only be a 29 days month. But no. Its always 30-31 days.
Basically, that means, come rain or shine, you'll have to fast for that number of days. Its the minimum number for that year. Let's just say, I was sick/accidentally pigged out on food/ had my period/multitude of reasons that made me not fast/cancel out the fasting day , I'll have to pay it back.
In simple words, I have to fast the number of days I didn't in Ramadhan for the rest of the year (before the next Ramadhan comes along). It would be common to hear women going "I hope I won't get my period this month. Pleaaaasseeee" or maybe that's just me.
I try my hardest not to miss a day. Even when I'm sick, I'll try to brave it out until Dad has to resist smacking my head into the bowl of soup. But, sometimes, a girl just has to eventually, skip some days. And pay them back.
The highest number was 13 days. And I cried every single damn day I had to fast for that. Its a whole different thing, fasting in Ramadhan and fasting in another month. Just to get past lunch time is torture. I'll be thinking of what I want to eat while breaking my fast at 9am.
T.O.R.T.U.R.E
And, its like, I'm not functional at all, my energy level that is, to do more than rolling around in bed.
Every year, I'll cram those days into the last couple of months before Ramadhan, moaning on how in the world did time move so fast.
How many days do I have to pay back this year?
One.
Wahid.
Satu.
Uno.
Yes, you got the idea. It was thanks to having an asthma attack that made the doctor look at me over his glasses with a "No fasting tommorow".
You should have heard my wheezy "NOOOOOOOO" that followed.
Oh well, here's to my completing today and being free from my fasting debt, without any slip-ups. Trust me, it happens.
Wait, its not Ramadhan yet, true?
Yes.
But, every year, we Muslims (god, that sounds so racist or religionist or something) have to fast during the whole of Ramadhan. And every year, I'll pray that it will only be a 29 days month. But no. Its always 30-31 days.
Basically, that means, come rain or shine, you'll have to fast for that number of days. Its the minimum number for that year. Let's just say, I was sick/accidentally pigged out on food/ had my period/multitude of reasons that made me not fast/cancel out the fasting day , I'll have to pay it back.
In simple words, I have to fast the number of days I didn't in Ramadhan for the rest of the year (before the next Ramadhan comes along). It would be common to hear women going "I hope I won't get my period this month. Pleaaaasseeee" or maybe that's just me.
I try my hardest not to miss a day. Even when I'm sick, I'll try to brave it out until Dad has to resist smacking my head into the bowl of soup. But, sometimes, a girl just has to eventually, skip some days. And pay them back.
The highest number was 13 days. And I cried every single damn day I had to fast for that. Its a whole different thing, fasting in Ramadhan and fasting in another month. Just to get past lunch time is torture. I'll be thinking of what I want to eat while breaking my fast at 9am.
T.O.R.T.U.R.E
And, its like, I'm not functional at all, my energy level that is, to do more than rolling around in bed.
Every year, I'll cram those days into the last couple of months before Ramadhan, moaning on how in the world did time move so fast.
How many days do I have to pay back this year?
One.
Wahid.
Satu.
Uno.
Yes, you got the idea. It was thanks to having an asthma attack that made the doctor look at me over his glasses with a "No fasting tommorow".
You should have heard my wheezy "NOOOOOOOO" that followed.
Oh well, here's to my completing today and being free from my fasting debt, without any slip-ups. Trust me, it happens.
11 comments:
Being a Christian has its perks: I can eat what I want when I want xD (And weird…my captcha/word verification thing for this comment is 'fling')
it's tough making up for fasts! especially when everyone around you is eating. :( GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR SINGLE FAST I HOPE IT GOES MY AWESOMELYYYYYYY
p.s. Ramadan is coming soon O.O
I have 7 days left and I still haven't started ;(
If you have a minute, I'd love to hear a little more, the on-line information isn't very specific.
So this type of fasting is breakfast only, for thirty days?
And if you miss a bunch of days during the thirty, does that mean that you can go well into the rest of the year? Like, would you know someone who announces in September that they won't be eating anything on your lunch date because they're making up a fast day?
I'd much rather hear about certain things from people instead of a sterile source like google, so if you (or even anyone else reading this, please feel welcom...) have a moment to fill me in I would be so grateful !
Wow I didn't know this. I had to do a little wikipedia search to learn more, but from what I'm gathering, this sounds pretty great. A month a year to have yourself focus on more important things. Loving this idea :)
It often happens that I don't get a chance to eat until afternoon or even evening but no drinking either, that sounds tough. Do you not get problems with no liquids for so long? Or is it enough what you can drink after sunset and before sunrise?
@Adam: First, omg, its you :D I love your blog.
Well, fasting is from Subuh, or the morning prayer, which is around sunrise until Maghrib, the evening prayer, around sunset. We usually, wake up around 30 mins before Subuh and eat, like an early breakfast.
And, no drinking and eating until sunset. Its not torture actually, you'll get used to it( well, for me and my friends).
Yes, like, if that year, Ramadhan is 30 days, you have to fast the whole 30 days. Let's say, you miss one day because you're sick, you have to pay it aka fast, after Ramadhan is over and before the next time it comes.
Hahaha, I have friends who went "I'm fasting today, got n number of days more" during a mall trip or hanging out. So, yes.
@InnocentlyGreen: People see it as a month of letting your digestion rest.
This is going to sound cliche, but I find when I fast which is with the intention of it, I get through the day much easier. Compare to a normal day when I'm too busy/no food and I'll be raving for a drink/food by lunch.
But, I still do get that "Oh god, I would really kill for an ice-cold drink right now". I tend to drink a lot during the hours where I'm allowed to.
You'll eventually get used to it, just that some people try to avoid thinking of food, while some like me, spend the day watching cooking shows.
This reminds me, I need to fast too before ramadhan. And trust me, I have to do it for a lot more days than you :/
GOOD LUCK, YOU CAN DO IT!! :D
Hi Gorgeous! Of course it's me! Thank you so much, I love your blog too! I'm so envious of your writing style, I've tried to emulate similar creative styles in the past but I just don't have the freedom (mentally) to do it right.
Your writing is like breathing in the smell of the flowers until you're pressing your face in them!
I learned something new about Ramadan! Yay! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer, and thank you for the thoroughness! So what about water? Does that count?
It's probably bad, but thinking about if we had any sort of similar practices here that were common they would get so exploited:
"Julie, I like think you have an eating disorder."
"No Heather, I told you, I'm paying back one of my Ramadan days."
"But Julie, you didn't miss a single day during Ramadan and since then you've payed back thirty more !!"
Sorry, that's where my mind goes towards the end of the day.
Awwww. You're making me giddy here. And blushing from the comparison. Water is a no-no too. I think that's the harder part for people who are used to having a bottle of water in hand most of the time.
Eating and drinking is like, the basis of fasting. There's like other things that you can't do while fasting. From the top of my head, sex/purposely making yourself turned on is one of the things that makes that day's fast cancelled out. Medicine too. But as far as I know, doctors have a way of telling you when to take the medicine while fasting. And even if you're like, going through an asthma attack, you're allowed to use your inhaler(I've done this few times)
Its not like, reallllly strict cause there are exceptions.
Haha, I have friends who use fasting as a way of dieting. Like, Ramadhan is the minimum number of days you have to fast. We have holy days. And, Monday and Thursday are the "great" days for you to fast. So, yes, it does get exploited here but people don't really see it as that. More of a "He/She likes to fast"
This was all very educational. Thanks for the patience in explaining everything Hanis! <3
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