The Holy Month of Ramadan is a most anticipated and welcome annual religious event for Muslims. This is especially true for physically fit devotees who are free of medical and health issues. It is a big deal for them, and they even have fun. It hardly disrupts their routine.

In the so-called ground zero in Marawi, where public structures have been built, the city comes alive at night with festive flickering lights and throngs of devotees rendezvousing after iftar or the breaking of the fast at dusk. The local government initiated a special program that allows business establishments, especially those selling food, to put up stalls in the gigantic lakeside Gymnasium to display their wares and serve coffee and local delicacies á la a night market. There are rides for children and fireworks at night. Devotees seek relaxation and bond with family and friends after observing the backbreaking, nearly two-hour “taraweh” prayer standing, bending, prostrating, and supplicating.

The month promises a break from the mundane quotidian grind of life and a slowing down of a hectic lifestyle. Muslims look forward to divine forgiveness and redemption from a deviant life and a reward of “barakah,” or blessings, after fulfilling Ramadan’s injunctions.

But time and space pass, and with it, the fitness and agility of man. And for octogenarians, Ramadan poses a challenge to one’s physical abilities. In fact, it’s risky to one’s health.

Ramadan fasting for an octogenarian is tough. Being an experienced litigator, I wish I could engage alims or Islamic scholars in theological hermeneutics. I can adroitly invoke the exemption granted by Islam to senior citizens (including the sick, weak, and travelers). I might succeed, but there is that nagging feeling of unease that because I feel healthy enough without any major health issues and co-morbidities, I might be committing a mortal sin if I shy away from fasting. My major concern is the disruption of the schedule for taking my maintenance medicines. Also, there is the constant struggle with insomnia because of the alteration of our regular sleeping patterns. Will this take a toll on my health in the long run? 

Fasting during Ramadan puts one’s normal routine into shambles. Some convert their nights to days because hunger and thirst make them weak, lethargic, enervated, and cranky. Chores normally performed in the daytime are deferred for the evening, including meetings, seminars, and group discussions. Trips are postponed until after Ramadan. This is because it’s only at dusk that practitioners are allowed to partake of food and drink.

The alterations in devotees’ regular schedules for one fasting month are a supreme test of religious fealty and devotion. One suppresses hunger without being monitored, except for one’s conscience and the fear of the Creator. It’s a fitness and capability exercise to prepare one for future physical and spiritual challenges, sort of forging metal into steel. This is aside from the myriad medical and health benefits fasting brings, as documented in science and medical journals, including testimonies of leading specialists and physicians.

The government recognizes the predicament of Muslims practicing fasting. It issued Presidential Decree 322, allowing flexibility in working hours. The Civil Service Commission and private establishments have allowed Muslims to work from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. without a lunch break. In the BARMM areas, a Memorandum Circular issued by the interim Chief Minister adopted the shortened work schedule. This grants Muslims time for iftar or breaking of the fast at home.

So, back to the issue of octogenarians fasting during Ramadan. No one, including medical and health practitioners, can determine with a sufficient degree of certainty another’s capability to fast. The devotee knows his own body and is the best judge.

Me, it’s the 24th day of Ramadan and the fasting inconvenience is on a downward swing. In a few days, Ramadan will bid farewell, and I don’t want to carry the guilt that Ramadan, being a once-a-year month-long sacrifice, I evaded a divine obligation.

It’s a non-issue. The choice is salvation or hellfire.

amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com