Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah

Does sickness exempt one from fasting?

· 29 Shawwal 1434 AH1 min readFatwa 26264English

Question

I have been trying to fast for the past few days, and everyday I get very sick...vommiting headache weakness etc. even after it is ime to break fast, I am unable to eat anything. I also have to take care of my child, I was wondering if its permissible for me to be excused from fasting and if so, what do I have to do to compensate my missed fasts.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykumwa-rahmatullāhiwa-barakātuh.

In principle, if one fears that one will become sick by fasting or one’s sickness will be aggravated by fasting, then such a person is excused from fasting. However, such a person will be obligated to keep one Qadha fast for each missed fast.[1]

You state that you experience vomiting, headaches, weakness, etc while fasting; therefore you are exempted from fasting. You should compensate for the missed fasts as soon as possible by keeping one Qadha fast for every missed fast.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Ismail Desai,
Darul Iftaa
Durban, South Africa

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

1او مريض خاف الزيادة أو ابطاء البرء او فساد عضو بحر او وجع العين او جرا حة او صداع او غيره (رد المحتار، ص 422، ج 2)

و صحيح خاف المرض (تنوير، ص 422، ج 2)

و المرض الذي يبيح الفطر ما يخاف منه الموت او زيادة علة (الفتاوي التاتارخانية، ص 222، ج 1)

لمن خاف زيادة المرض الفطر (كنز الدقائق، ص 281، ج 2)

و الصحيح الذي يخشي ان يمرض بالصوم فهو كالمريض (بحر الرائق، ص 281، ج 2)

مسائل رفعت قاسمي للشيخ رفعت القاسمي، ص 185، ج 4

Answered by
Mufti Ismail Desai
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
View original Compare with other Darul Iftas
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, please ask a Mufti. Report an issue

For corrections or mistakes, please email us at fatawasa786@gmail.com.

Source: Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah — https://askimam.org/public/question_detail/26264
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/askimam-26264

People also ask

Who is excused from fasting because of illness or old age?

“Fasting in Ramaḍān is a Divine and merciful obligation on every person who is able to do so. The principal ruling is, that if, a competent Muslim doctor advises one not to fast or if one genuinely fears, due to previous…”

MUBZ · 45 fatawa from 5 Darul Iftas on this

What the Darul Iftas say

Related fatawa