Q What are some tips to make fasting in hot months easier?

Answer

Short Answer:

Staying well-hydrated is the key to making it easier for the body to endure the daily fasting routine during a hot summer Ramadan. Drinking adequate water throughout the night-time hours is essential.

Avoid going out during the day just for chores, like shopping. Try to get all your Eid shopping done before Ramadan, and keep it simple when it comes to clothes, food, and decor.

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Salam Humarah,

Thank you for sending in your question to our website, sister Humarah. Your question is very relevant and has probably crossed the minds of most Muslims.

This is because fasting in the hot summer months, with long daylight hours and soaring temperatures, can become a challenge. Below please find some tips to make summer fasting easier:

Stay Hydrated

Staying well-hydrated is the key to making it easier for the body to endure the daily fasting routine during a hot summer Ramadan. Drinking adequate water throughout the night-time hours is essential.

The minimum amount of water that doctors recommend (excluding any other drinks, such as tea, coffee, or carbonated beverages) is 8 to 10, 8-ounce glasses per 24-hour period.

However, some people might require more, depending on the nature of the work they do during the day, and the state of their overall health e.g. elderly people or professionals/those whose daily routine takes them in the sun might require more water.

You can also take a quick shower/bath with cold water during the daylight hours to cool off because even the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pour water over his head while fasting in the heat. Taking even two such cold-water baths per day is recommended. Just remember not to waste water.

Take Afternoon Siesta

All praises to Allah that in Pakistan, everyone gets off work or school by 3:00 PM during weekdays in Ramadan. For those whose routines allow it, they should lie down for a couple of hours indoors, during Dhuhr and Asr prayers.

This siesta (nap) during the long, hot afternoons helps keep fatigue and dehydration at bay by allowing the body to wind down, rest, and recharge for night-time prayers.

Make Chores Easier

We should make some changes to our daily routines and chores during Ramadan in order to not add more fatigue to our bodies while we are in the state of fasting. For example, if someone washes their laundry during the afternoons as a norm, then they should change the routine to right after Fajr prayer or just before sleeping at night.

If affordable, it is better to purchase an automatic washer for this purpose. The same applies to using blenders to chop vegetables, air fryers to roast/fry food (instead of frying 5 kinds of food for iftar by standing in front of a hot wok), and air-conditioners to cool off during the daytime.

I know that this will seem to inflate “expenses”, but sister, we should consider every paisa, or cent, that we spend during Ramadan, as sadaqah, even if it is spent in making our worldly chores easier.

This is because using the help of machines to tackle worldly chores will give us more energy and time to focus on acts of worship during Ramadan.

It will also give us rewards for reducing the burden of work not just on ourselves, but also upon our domestic helpers. In Pakistan, it is the norm for most families to burden domestic helpers with even more work during Ramadan. While, in fact, we should do the opposite.

Avoid Unnecessary Outings During the Day

Muslims should avoid going out during the day just for those worldly chores, like shopping, which is not even necessary. Try to get all your Eid shopping done before Ramadan, and keep it simple when it comes to clothes, food, and decor.

Try to pay all your bills online, using Internet banking services, to avoid going out in the sun. And try not to roam around in air-conditioned shopping malls to while away the hot, daylight hours. Focus on worship.

Get Sleep at Night

Since Ramadan has been commencing during the annual summer vacation from school, many Muslim families stay awake all night during the month and sleep daily between Fajr and Dhuhr. This sleep schedule works against the brain’s and body’s natural clock.

The best rest that the human body can have is during the night hours, as Allah has stated in the Qur’an. So try to get at least a couple of hours of night sleep, in order to energize the body for daylight fasting.

Allah knows best. I hope that these tips answer your question. May Allah grant you, us, and all Muslims the blessings of the coming Ramadan. Ameen.

Salam. Please stay in touch.

(From Ask About Islam archives)

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