Written By: Zeinab Uddin

Ramadan is almost here.

And if you're pregnant… or newly postpartum… this year might feel different.
You might be counting kicks instead of rak'ahs.
Timing naps instead of long nights in Taraweeh.
Watching everyone prepare to fast while you're unsure whether you will.

And sometimes, quietly, there's guilt.
But let's pause there.

Allah, the One who obligated fasting, is the One who created pregnancy. He knows the weight of your body, the shifts in your energy, the way your back aches by Maghrib. He knows the tears that come easier. The hunger that feels stronger. The exhaustion that sits deep in your bones.

And in the very verses about fasting, Allah says:
"Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship."
(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185)
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ
If He has granted you a concession, it is not a loophole, it is mercy.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَضَعَ عَنِ الْمُسَافِرِ شَطْرَ الصَّلَاةِ وَالصَّوْمَ، وَعَنِ الْحَامِلِ وَالْمُرْضِعِ الصَّوْمَ."
"Indeed, Allah has lifted fasting from the pregnant and breastfeeding woman."

This is not a loss of reward. It is a sign of Allah's care for you and the life you are nurturing.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women have been given special permission to not fast. That is not a downgrade in worship. It is compassion from the One who knows your limits better than you do.
You are not stepping out of Ramadan.
You are experiencing it differently.
If you are growing a baby, your body is already working around the clock.
If you are postpartum, your body is healing while your heart learns a whole new love.
That is not small.

This Ramadan may look like:

  • Dhikr while lying down.
  • Listening to Qur'an instead of standing long in prayer.
  • Making du'a while resting.
  • Feeding your baby at night and whispering "Alhamdulillah" in the quiet.

And if you are nearing birth, there is something beautiful to reflect on.
Ramadan teaches us that hardship has purpose. That restraint builds strength. That relief always comes. Every fast ends with iftar. Every long night ends with Fajr.

Labor is not so different.
There is intensity, but there is also relief. There is effort, but there is also reward. And when a woman enters birth grounded, trusting, and prepared, it becomes a powerful act of surrender.

This month is not about doing the most. It is about sincerity.
So if this Ramadan is slower for you… softer… quieter…

Let it be.
You are not behind.
You are not less devoted.
You are not missing out.
You are in a season of life that Allah Himself honored with concession and ease.
And sometimes the most beloved worship is done unseen -
in pajamas,
in the dark,
with a baby in your arms.