Q: I am a 24 year old unmarried woman living with my parents and siblings. I am having health problems and weight problems. Some of my health problems are schizophrenia and infection. I learned that water fasting is a way of curing these problems as they are deemed to be incurable by mainstream doctors so i have no option but to do it as I can do it and I have done it before and I want to obey the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) because he told us to strive for what benefits us and not to be lazy or incapable.
So my question is should I go ahead and obey the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and do what will benefit me or obey my parents and continue suffering.
What scares them when I want to do the water fasting is the fact that I will not be eating anything but water for 30-40 days and they are afraid that i will die when I do it. It has been scientifically proven that the human body can survive for forty days on water without food and there are many people all over the world that have done it and are still doing it and they are gaining benefits from it even curing cancer with it. My mental health problem of schizophrenia can be cured permanently with it because there is a man named Dr. Nikolayev who cures his patients with mental disorders with prolonged water fasting. During the water fast, the body thrives off its reserves and this can last for forty days (please you can google more about water fasting and its benefits and water fasting for schizophrenia).
I have explained it to them and I have tried my best to convince them. I even told them that there are health centres where people go for water fasting retreats to cure their diseases like the TrueNorth Health Center in America and another one in Germany and many others all over the world.
Should I go ahead and do it as the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) wants us to do what will benefit us or should I obey my parents and live with this incurable diseases?
A: I suggest that you discuss this with your parents and consult an experienced physician as well.
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)