On Call: The Trials of Being a Muslim Doctor during Ramadan
by Ahmed Zaafran
With Ramadan rapidly approaching, the time has come to prepare mentally, spiritually, and physically for one of the most important times of the year in Islam. The month of Ramadan comes at the height of summer this year, bringing unique challenges.
The focus of this particular article is geared towards those who are medical professionals: physicians, students, nurses, technicians. However, as people from all lines of work deal with time management issues, in sha’ Allah (God willing) those who do not work in the healthcare industry may still benefit from this advice and can work collectively to implement it.
Making a Plan
Making a plan is a useful way to get things moving in the right direction. List out the objectives you aspire to meet for the day. For example, as a resident physician in Anesthesiology at the busiest trauma center in the country, I anticipate being in the operating room for many hours at a time, often without a break. Knowing that, sometimes I have to use lunchtime or break time to fulfill my obligatory prayers and may even be forced to combine my prayers in unusual situations.
Many hospitals provide prayer areas within chapels for Muslims to pray or even have a masjid (mosque) within the hospital. However, this may not always be the case. Whatever the situation, try to find a spot where you can reflect on your prayer, reconnect with Allah and your intentions for fasting, and reenergize yourself. In time, you’ll find many unexpected gifts from Allah peppered throughout your day, giving you a firsthand view of the fruits of hard work and good intentions. Remember that Allah knows your circumstances even more than yourself. You may become discouraged that because of your time constraints, you cannot fulfill your desire to be fully engaged with Allah during your Ramadan. Don’t allow yourself to fall into that rut; your two rak`at (units of prayer) are worth more than you think.
Establishing the Right Mindset
Establishing the right mindset is half the battle. I can’t tell you how many times throughout medical school my Muslim peers would make excuses as to why they don’t need to fast during Ramadan. The most common excuse I heard was, “How could I possibly concentrate on my studies if I’m fasting?” Another common cop-out was, “Bro, I’ll just make it up later once finals are done with.”
To many of you, this may sound outlandish or even blasphemous, but it is commonly seen in people who deal with the physical and emotional demands of being a medical student or physician, which brings me to the point of this section. Establishing the right mindset means more than just telling yourself that you will fast during Ramadan. It means training yourself that your “starvation” is in fact the easiest part of Ramadan. The real challenge lies in your remembrance of Allah, making all of your actions a form of worship, and fulfilling your role as a representative of Islam in the midst of a watchful environment.
To be honest, Ramadan is the best time to showcase the beauty of our religion and its focus on self-control. For example, how many times, in any occupational platform, have people come up to you, after finding out that you are fasting from food AND water (for some reason they are always impressed with the water part), to inquire more about your fast and your faith? This is the perfect time to explain to them what fasting during Ramadan really means, that abstaining from our material desires, including food, sexual relations, backbiting, and slander, are only the physical vehicles that allow the spiritual self a viable platform to elevate itself. People in the healthcare industry understand what it means to make sacrifices. It might sound like clockwork to you, but for many of your colleagues, it is the most profound thing they will ever hear.
Time
Amongst medical students and physicians, a quite broad category in and of itself, a high demand on time handcuffs their abilities to have an effective Ramadan. The amount of information required of medical students to learn, memorize, digest, and apply is quite daunting, and they often find themselves missing out on prayers entirely, whether during Ramadan or other times of the year. The key is to prioritize your time around your prayer by redistributing it. The epicenter of your day is your prayer, and you should make everything else the ornamentation to that foundation. As hard as it many seem at the time, you’ll eventually find yourself both excelling in your prayers and concentrating on patient care as well. Keep in mind that the workday has its gaps and moments when you can take quick breaks. For the student, study breaks are a part of the daily routine. Rather than rushing to the TV for a break, take a moment to reconnect with the Qur’an, even if it is just for a few minutes. Ramadan comes only once a year. Don’t let the month leave without cashing in on those precious moments that usually go wasted.
Spiritual Connection
Finally, put your work into perspective. The type of work you do in medicine exposes you to various situations that challenge your mind and your soul. You are given the task to heal people’s ailments, whether physical or mental, and are able to provide them with a service that nurtures and improves the thing most precious to them: their health. Personally, I can relate to the spiritual challenges faced by physicians on a daily basis at the hospital. Just a few weeks ago, I took care of a young man in his early 30s who seemed to have the world ahead of him. A minor ailment initially brought him to the hospital, but his health deteriorated quite rapidly.
“Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.” [Qur'an, 2:156]
The team working to save his life moved quickly and diligently, doing everything humanly possible to resuscitate him. The exact moment Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) took his soul was quite evident, and the organized chaos in the room instantly transformed into a deafening silence. Despite exhaustive measures on my part and on that of the medical professionals around me, we were not able to save his life. Muslims and non-Muslims alike had to deal with that situation, and the fear can choke the air out of your throat. Moments like these can shake one’s faith if he is not prepared, but it can also strengthen one’s resolve and solidify his love for Allah.
Use Ramadan to strengthen yourself. Seek refuge from Allah from all your insecurities. Use the training that Allah has blessed you with to fulfill His commandments. Take every opportunity to show Allah that more than anything else, you are trying to purify yourself and humble yourself under His Presence. Medicine is a field that carries much responsibility and much prestige. Use your status amongst your peers as a pedestal to serve your Lord and as a mechanism to eradicate arrogance. The Qur’an gives us pearls every time we read it, and perhaps the verse that can be used by medical practitioners the most to correct their intentions and set the tone for their daily work lies in Surat al-Ma`idah, entitled “The Table Spread.”
“Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” [Qur'an, 5:32]
With this verse in mind, we can truly use the month of Ramadan as a springboard not only to serve our fellow human beings in need of medical treatment but also as an opportunity to use our skills as a means to please our Creator, Allah, exalted is He.
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My take is to be able to establish ibadah during duty is a big blessing from God.
SUBHAN ALLAH THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING POST. JAZAK ALLAHU KUL KHAYRAN I BENEFITED FROM THIS LIKE NO OTHER. BARAK ALLAHU FIKUM. May Allah ‘azza wa jall use you for His Sake and bless you with the sweetness of Ramadan in every second of this upcoming month and beyond. Please keep us in your dua!
Barakallahu feek wa jazaakum allahu khair for the reminder. May Allah help us implement it and keep us steadfast in the coming weeks. Ameen.
*This is not a post, but a request.*
Is there a way to get in touch with Bro. Zaafran. As an aspiring doctor myself, I would like to get some Muslim-oriented advice?
Asalamu alaikum,
Jazakullahu khairan for the words of advice brotha. I remember the days when the brothers would finally be done with exams during the month of Ramadan, and while our colleagues were eager to go celebrate with a night of drinking and clubbing we would say to each other “finally we can go for taraweeh tonight!”
Subhanallah, what a relief it was to have the opportunity to go to the masjid. I remember that moment when I entered the masjid feeling like a complete stranger. It was a very sad feeling for sure.
Once you get into rotations, though, your time is a little more manageable depending on the rotation you’re in. The best thing to do is set up a lighter rotation in the month of Ramadan. This will allow you to really enjoy the month.
The other thing med students should do is go into Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation!
Even during residency you take call from home, so no missing salah and you can sleep in your own bed 
Sorry just had to throw in a plug in.
salaamz
Like Br. Abubakr – I am an aspiring doctor (well in one year insha’allah) who is currently studying. I too, would like some advice. While I have fasted during the school year a few years back, now that Ramadhan is during the summer months, there is that added challenge as well. I have to admit that it is difficult being home and trying to study at times (I go to school on the opposite side of the globe from home, thus I do want to enjoy home a bit) and I am just worried about my work during the Holy Month. As of now, things are going well, and now I am doing more intense reviewing/revision. Sometimes, even my mother or others discourage me from fasting (saying that Allah will Understand my situation, etc), knowing that I have this difficulty described above and last year, I had some do-or-die type of exams . . . . so I wasn’t able to participate, much to my own disappointment and heart-break to say the least. Now that the month is approaching once again, I am torn – I know we are allowed to disobey our parents when it comes to obeying Allah (swt), but I also don’t want to let down when it comes to my studies. I really need some advice.
Also, in the past, in my early teen years, my late father wouldn’t let me fast, because I had not yet had my Imaan and Salah in the right and strong place in my life, but now that I’m older and I’ve learned so much and put it into practice as much as I can, I think I should be able to “move on” and really make my Islam more complete, more consistently, which really comes to the forefront during the Holy Month.
Also, just wanted to say that I showed this article to my mother, who thought it was very nice and since I only read it now, I hadn’t realize Br. Zaafran was in Anesthesiology, as my mother herself has been an anesthesiologist for about 30 years. So I pass on her “well done/written!” to Br. Zaafran.
I thought it would be tough studying during Ramadan too, but alhumdulillah I did quite well. My methodology was a little different however, so it may not apply to you. Instead of going to classes I would study at home. ALhumdulillah my med school provided me with all class notes which were pretty much books themselves. So for most classes I was able to skip out and study at home. Since I was able to do this, I was able to either study 1ST thing in the morning (when fatigue and hunger hadn’t kicked in yet) or the hours right before iftar (so I would be able to open my fast while I was studying). Then I would continue studying during the night.
Another method is to attend class during the day, go home around 5ish and sleep until iftar. Then study from maghrib till about midnight. That is a solid 4-5 hours of studying (which is pretty decent if you attend class).
I would literally have 3-4 exams per week, EVERY week for the entire semester. So there were very few breaks from studying.
There are thousands of Muslim doctors who have gone through what you are going through. You are not alone. We are all struggling with you. But I will tell you this…everyone attains reward from Allah according to the level of struggle and sincerity. So, take this as an OPPORTUNITY to gain MORE reward than anyone else!
Want to know something else? I am pretty sure it was your habit to go for taraweeh outside of medical school, and it is your sincere desire to be with the community now. If you are not able to attend the taraweeh because of a need/difficulty you will STILL be rewarded as though you were there. So while you are studying for your exams feeling sad that you are not at the masjid with everyone else, know that you are receiving the same reward as everyone else!
So keep your head up and struggle hard…it will be well worth it!
Summary:
1. You are receiving MORE reward than anyone else who isn’t struggling as much as you during the fast, even though they may be at the masjid all-day long.
2. You will be receiving the reward of Quran, taraweeh, qiyaam ul layl so long as this was your habit before medical school and you have a sincere desire to perform such actions now!
3. Personal advice: Even though you may not be able to attend the communal gathering and acts of worship take some time for yourself at night (after isha) to pray a couple of rakah of salah. Utilize this time to review Quran in your prayers, and make dua in your sajdah. So this way with this single act of worship you can maximize your usage of time by allowing you to combine multiple acts of worship in one! Haven’t you wondered why Salah is the best worship? BECAUSE of this! It combined almost EVERY act of worship in one! This will be a nice stress reliever aswell!
I pray the best for you…trust me it gets better! atleast a little bit
salaami
Arif
أنا بحب جدا جدا.. الجزء فيما يتعلق ب
“من أجل ذلك” .. أشعر وكأنه خطاب فيه عزة من القوى العزيز
….
سبحان الله
Assalam Alaykom all,
I’m so honored and excited to see these replies and responses. I think there are many resources out there that gear towards self improvement and Islamic knowledge, but SuhaibWebb.com has really shown a commitment to excellence. I hope we all continue to support each other, answer questions, and give insight from our own personal experiences. May we all have a blessed Ramadan insha’Allah, full of baraka, love, community, and devotion to Allah. Ameen.
May Allah SubhanahuwaTa’la reward you abundantly for every second you took to write this article to the web. This is accessible and very useful. May Allah SWT have mercy on you and bless you with spaciousness, peace, more profound knowledge, health, and wisdom. RAMADHAAN KAREEM. Was Salaam.
It is amazing how much faith alone can do. I have never felt strong pangs of hunger during Ramadan because I know that what I am doing is for a good cause, and is obligatory in Islam. In this way, I have never thought that I am exerting pressure on myself, or felt weak. Focusing on the positives will keep you strong. Great post!
Does anyone have tips for staying awake/alert while fasting?
i wish i had seen this article a little earlier – i’m a med student who started year three rotations on the fifth day of ramadan and so the last couple weeks have been a blur of aching feet, sleepless nights, and ramadan-regret. i’ve definitely tried to make the most of the brief moments of free time i’ve had, but i was still devastated because i felt that i wasn’t *maximizing* my ramadan. i think that your advice about constructing the experience of medicine as an act of worship is excellent – jazakallahu khairan – i’m already feeling better when i look back on the month, and inshallah the next time ramadan comes around i’ll be able to handle it with a little more grace. thank you again!
MAshallah very nicely written article.
It would be useful to know about the time limitations for an average fast as in some places the total daylight hours are now approaching 19-20 hours. I think this is an important issue for scholars which is being neglected. For a busy on-call you can be running along hungry and dry non-stop for several days at a stretch. This is pretty heavy especially as there isnt really the chance to eat or re-hydrate completely before the next upcoming day!!!