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.
- 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?
- 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?
- 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.
- 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 ‘
- 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? “
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- I don’t want to put on any weight; I worked so hard in ages 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.
- 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