Why Should Women Delay Their Periods To Observe Fasting During Ramzan?
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
20 March
2024
Salaudeen
Abdulkadir, the chief missioner of the Igbomina-Ekiti Muslim Forum, says Muslim
women who do not want to miss their fasting can medically delay the menstrual cycle.
The chief
missioner emphasised that as long as the process did not endanger the women’s
lives, they could alter their cycle to fast the complete month of Ramzan.
Why should
women tinker with their bodies by delaying their periods just to observe
fasting and please a fastidious Allah? And why can't a menstruating woman
observe fasting during Ramzan? Menstruation, the most natural, biological and
reproductive process in a female body, is abhorred by all man-made faiths. Read
my article in The Deccan Herald that appeared on February 25, 2020: Why All Faiths Abhor Menstruating
Women
If
menstruation impures and defiles a woman, why on earth did your god, Allah,
Bhagwan and Prabhu singe, nay scorch, all women with this 'curse'?
All
patriarchal religions have a serious problem with a female body and all faiths
have reservations about certain bodily functions during specifically 'sacred'
periods and months.
Hindus
(ostensibly) abstain from having sex during Navratri. They also don't consume
onion and garlic during that Ati Pavitra Kaal Khand (Very sacred
period). Christians are advised to abstain from physical intimacy during Lent
(40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday).
Muslims shun mating and also avoid carnal thoughts during Ramzan. Why this
unnecessary regimentation?
Does one
have to renounce sex, food, water to show one's servile devotion to a concocted
Supreme Being? Even if it exists, does it want such slavish and strict
prostration from its terrified followers? Well, devotees will say that they do
it of their own accord. But who decided and formulated these oppressive
religious practices? Our bronze-age ancestors started doing all this
mumbo-jumbo and we've been following them blindly.
Coming back
to menstruating women and fasting, it's up to them whether to fast or not.
Disturbing biological functions to please a draconian Allah makes no sense.
Muslim women all over the world should wake up. But then, they themselves love
to stay enslaved and frightened.
----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/women-periods-observe-fasting-ramzan/d/131957