To make it easy for people, Allah ﷻ has exempted some of them from fasting. They are:
1Sick people whose medical condition is bound to be further worsened by fasting are permitted to break the fast but must make up the missed fasts after Ramadaan. |
2People who canno t possibly observe a fast due to old age or sick people for whom there is no hope of recovery may also break the fast but must feed a needy person for every day missed, by giving him 1.5 kg of the staple food common in the country. |
3Travellers, while moving from one place to another or during their temporary residence which lasts less than four days, are allowed to break the fast but have to make up for the fast days they have missed after Ramadaan. As the Qur’an states, “But those of you who are sick or are on a journey must fast an equal number of other days. Allah wants ease for you, not hardship.” (Soorat Al-Baqarah: 185) |
4Menstruating women and women experiencing post-natal bleeding are forbidden to fast but must make up an equal number of days after Ramadaan.Even if they fast, it will not be valid. (See page 98) |
5Pregnant and nursing women are permitted to break the fast if they fear it would be dangerous for them or for their babies if they fast. They must, however, make up for the fast days they have missed after Ramadaan. |
The Islamic Ruling Regarding Those who Deliberately Break the Fast
Breaking the fast without a valid excuse is a grave sin which clearly testifies to its doer’s disobedience to Allah ﷻ. Therefore, those who commit such a sin must sincerely repent to Allah in addition to making up for the fast days they have omitted. Those who engage in sexual intercourse during the day in Ramadaan must, in addition to expressing sincere repentance and making up that day, expiate for doing so by freeing a Muslim slave, hence the importance Islam attaches to liberating people from the shackles of servitude. If they cannot find any slaves to set free, as is the case today, they must fast for two consecutive months; if they are unable do so, then they have to feed sixty poor people.
