The Rulings of Fasting
EsinIslam
Ramadan
Ramadan Explorer
Shaikh Abu Haatim Ibn ‘Abdil-Lateef Al-Qoosee
A sick person and a traveler[1] are allowed to break their fast in Ramadan.
They must make up the days that they missed (by fasting other days) at a later
time, even if the days are not fasted consecutively. Allah says:
''Whoever is ill or on a journey, then (he may break the fast and instead
fast) the same number of days missed, on other days. Allah wishes for you ease
and He does not want to make things difficult for you." [Surah Al-Baqarah:
185]
Those who are not able to fast, such as the elderly man and elderly woman
(past age of childbearing),[2] may break their fast and instead feed a needy
person for every day that is missed. This is due to their falling under the
saying of Allah:
''And as for those who cannot fast (because of difficulty) they may feed a
needy person (for each day missed) based on the interpretation (of this ayah)
found in authentic narrations of some of the Companions. As a matter of fact,
this happened to one of the Companions, for Anas Ibn Maalik, radyAllah ‘anhu
reported that he was weak one year and could not fast. So he made a bowl of
porridge and called thirty needy people and fed them.'' [Reported by Ad-Daraqutnee
with an authentic chain of narration]
If a pregnant woman or a breast-feeding woman fears for herself or for her
children, she may break her fast and instead feed a needy person for each day
missed. This is based on her falling under the generality of the ruling found
in the previous ayah. And according to the most correct opinion,[3] these two
types of women do not have to make up for the missed days of fasting (i.e. by
fasting other days).
It is not permissible for a menstruating woman and a postpartum bleeding woman
to observe the fast until they stop bleeding. So when they stop bleeding, they
must make up for the days of fasting they missed. And they do not have to make
up for the prayers they missed during that time,[4] as is authentically
established in the Prophet's Sunnah, where he said: "Is it not true that when
a woman is menstruating, she neither prays nor fasts?" [Part of a hadeeth
reported by Al-Bukhari]
Anyone that eats or drinks out of forgetfulness is not obligated to make up
for a missed day or to expiate. Rather, he must just complete his fasting (for
that day). The Prophet, sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: ''Whoever forgets
while he is fasting and eats or drinks, then let him complete his fast, for it
was indeed Allah who fed him and gave him to drink.'' [Reported by Al-Bukhari
and Muslim]
The ruling for anyone that breaks the fast due to a mistake[5] or because he
is forced to is the same ruling as that of the one who breaks his fast out of
forgetfulness. This is based on the generality of the Prophet's, sallAllahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, saying: ''Verily, Allah has excused for my ummah (sins they commit
due to) mistakes, forgetfulness and what they are forced to do.'' [Reported by
Ibn Maajah and others, and it is authentic due to all of its paths of
narration]
Whoever eats or drinks intentionally during the day in Ramadan without any
valid excuse that allows him to do that has committed a sin and has nullified
his fast. It is obligatory on him to repent from that great sin and to make up
that missed day of fasting.
Anyone that has sexual intercourse with his wife during the day in Ramadan,
while they are both fasting, both of their fasts are broken. And it is
obligatory for both of them or (perhaps) one of them to repent. And they must
both make up that broken day of fasting and he must do the Expiation (kaffaarah).
The Expiation is freeing a slave. If it is not possible to find a slave, then
he must fast two consecutive months. If he is not able to do that, then he
must feed sixty needy people, as is stated in the story of the man who had
sexual intercourse with his wife during the day in Ramadan. [Reported by Al-Bukhari]
And in some narrations of the hadeeth, other than that of Al-Bukhari's, there
is a command to make up for the missed day of fasting. [Authenticated by Al-Haafidh
Ibn Hajr in Fath-ul-Baari]
There is no harm in a person tasting food with his tongue, while he is
fasting, on the condition that nothing enters (his throat). This is since it
is not truthful to say that a person who tastes food is in fact eating or
drinking.
[1] No one is permitted to break the fast and make it up another day except
these two, since Allah did not mention a text for anyone besides them. ''And
your Lord is not forgetful.'' So the fatwa given by some contemporary
(scholars) that it is permitted for school and college students to break their
fast during examination times, and also for those people who have hard-labor
occupations is not correct.
[2] And likewise the sick person that has a chronic disease – who is not able
to fast with it, nor is it expected that he will be cured in the confines of
the means that Allah has enabled.
[3] This is the opinion of Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn ‘Umar, radyAllahu 'anhumaa. And
it is not known that any of the other Companions opposed them in that. For a
further discussion on this, refer to the book ''Fasting in Ramadan'' of Shaikh
Saleem Al-Hilaalee and ‘Alee Hasan ‘Alee Abdul Hameed Al-Halabee.
[4] What some women do – such as intentionally leaving off food and drink
during the condition of menses, then taking a sip of water before sunset – has
no basis to it. Rather it is in opposition to the Sunnah.
[5] Such as the one who thinks it is still night time and thus eats. Then it
becomes clear to him that the sun has risen, and that it is Fajr. Or like the
one who hears the Adhaan over the radio and thus breaks his fast, but finds
out that it is an Adhaan from another country that has a different timing.
Source: Fasting - & Its Rulings
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