Who Can Skip Ramadan Fasting? Qada & Fidyah Rules New

Who Can Skip Fasting in Ramadan: Qada and Fidyah Explained

Question: For which people is it permissible to skip fasting? And what will be their makeup (Qada) or expiation (Kaffarah)? And can a pregnant and breastfeeding woman also skip the fast?

Answer..!

Praise be to Allah..!!

There are three categories of those who skip fasting:

First are those who can skip the fast but it is necessary for them to make it up (Qada) later.

Second are those who can skip the fast and will give Fidyah (charitable compensation) in exchange for every fast.

Third are those who can skip the fast and will either make it up later or give Fidyah.

The first category includes 4 types of people:

1. Traveler.
2. Temporarily sick (who has hope of recovery).
   As Allah the Almighty says in the Quran:
   وَمَنۡ کَانَ مَرِيۡضًا اَوۡ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنۡ اَيَّامٍ اُخَرَؕ
   “And whoever is sick or on a journey, then (he shall fast) a number of other days.”
   (Surah Al-Baqarah – Verse 185)
3. Women with menstruation (The blood that comes to women every month).
   The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
   “Is it not that when a woman menstruates, she does not pray and does not fast? This is the deficiency in her religion.”
   (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No-1951)
4. Women with Nifas (postpartum bleeding, i.e., those to whom a child has been born).
   Mother of the Believers Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that women with postpartum bleeding used to refrain from prayer and fasting for forty days during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
   (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith No-648)

The traveler, the temporarily sick (i.e., who has hope of recovery), and women with menstruation and Nifas are also included among the temporarily sick.

All of them can skip fasting and will make up for them (Qada) later.

As is the command of Allah the Almighty:

وَمَنۡ کَانَ مَرِيۡضًا اَوۡ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنۡ اَيَّامٍ اُخَرَؕ

"And whoever is sick or on a journey, then (he shall fast) a number of other days."

(Surah Al-Baqarah – Verse 185)

The second category includes those who are permanently sick, meaning those for whom there is no hope of recovery, and old, weak men and women who cannot fast.

They will feed a poor person (Miskin) in exchange for every fast.

As Allah the Almighty says in the Quran:

فَمَنۡ كَانَ مِنۡكُمۡ مَّرِيۡضًا اَوۡ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنۡ اَيَّامٍ اُخَرَ‌ؕ وَعَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ يُطِيۡقُوۡنَهٗ فِدۡيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسۡكِيۡنٍؕ

"So whoever among you is sick or on a journey, then (he shall fast) a number of other days; and for those who can afford it there is a ransom: the feeding of a poor man."

(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 184)

While interpreting this, Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says:

“This refers to a very old man or a very old woman who does not have the strength to fast; they should feed a poor person in exchange for every fast.”

(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No-4505)

At number three are those women:

1. Who are pregnant (i.e., expecting a child).
2. Those women who are breastfeeding children.

If they feel hardship in fasting, they can skip the fast.

Regarding their makeup (Qada), there is a difference of opinion among the scholars.

Some scholars say that they will fast later, and they present this Hadith as evidence:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Allah has waived half the prayer for the traveler, and waived fasting for the traveler, the pregnant, and the breastfeeding woman.”

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith No-1667)

Meaning, the ruling that applies to the traveler also applies to the pregnant and breastfeeding woman, i.e., she will make up for it later.

And some scholars say that she will not make up (Qada) but will give Fidyah. Their proofs are as follows:

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (RA) was asked about a pregnant woman who feared harm to her child. He said: “She should break the fast, and in exchange for it, give one ‘Mudd’ (approximately half a kilogram) of wheat to a poor person.”

(Al-Sunan Al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi: Vol 4/Pg 230, Chain is Sahih)

A pregnant woman asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (RA) about fasting, so he said:

أفطری، أطعمی عن کل یوم مسکیناً ولا تقضی.

“Break the fast, and feed a poor person for every day, and do not make up (Qada).”

(Sunan Al-Daraqutni: Vol 1/Pg 207 Hadith: 2363, Chain is Sahih).

Nafi’ narrates that:

A daughter of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (RA) was in the wedlock of a Quraishi man. She was pregnant; during Ramadan, she felt thirst, so he [Ibn Umar] ordered her to break the fast and feed a poor person in exchange for every fast.

(Sunan Al-Daraqutni: Vol 1/Pg 207 Hadith: 2364, Chain is Sahih)

The great Tabi’i Saeed bin Jubair (RA) says regarding the pregnant woman and the breastfeeding woman who is afraid regarding her child, that both should not fast, and should feed a poor person in exchange for every fast, and there is no makeup (Qada) of the missed fasts upon either of them.

(Musannaf Abdur Razzaq: Vol 4/Pg 216, Hadith No-7555, Chain is Sahih)

Allama Nasiruddin Al-Albani (RA) writes in “Irwa al-Ghalil”:

عن ابن عباس قال: ” إذا خافت الحامل على نفسها , والمرضع على ولدها فى رمضان قال: يفطران , ويطعمان مكان كل يوم مسكينا , ولا يقضيان صوما

Translation: Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that if a pregnant woman fears for herself, and a breastfeeding woman fears for her child regarding Ramadan, he said: “They should both break the fast, and feed a poor person in place of every day, and neither of them shall make up the fast.”

Imam Muhammad bin Jarir Al-Tabari narrated this and its chain is Sahih upon the conditions of Sahih Muslim.

(Irwa al-Ghalil, Vol 4/Page 19)

(Al-Tabari-2758)

And it is narrated in Sunan Al-Daraqutni:

حدثنا أبو صالح، ثنا أبو مسعود، ثنا أبو عامر العقدي، ثنا هشام، عن قتادة ، عن عزرة، عن سعيد بن جبير، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ” أَنَّهُ كَانَتْ لَهُ أَمَةٌ تُرْضِعُ فَأُجْهِضَتْ , فَأَمَرَهَا ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ أَنْ تُفْطِرَ يَعْنِي: وَتُطْعِمَ وَلَا تَقْضِيَ “. هَذَا صَحِيحٌ

Meaning, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) had a slave girl who was breastfeeding a child, so Ibn Abbas ordered her to break the fast (meaning: feed a poor person in exchange for every fast) and not to make up for it.

Imam Daraqutni says that this Hadith is absolutely Sahih.

(Sunan Al-Daraqutni, Vol 2/Pg 435) Sahih

After these authentic statements of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), it is proven that for pregnant and breastfeeding women who skip fasts, it is sufficient to give Fidyah in exchange. They do not need to make up (Qada).

Now the question arises that if the woman only gives Fidyah, she might never be able to fast. Because a pregnant woman will skip one Ramadan due to pregnancy, and the second and third Ramadan due to breastfeeding. By the third Ramadan, she might become pregnant again. And then pregnancy and then the period of lactation… in this way, she might not be able to fast at all. So, will she never fast?

The better solution to all these matters is:

Firstly, not all women are the same. Healthy pregnant women or breastfeeding women can fast if they try. And besides, nowadays Allah the Almighty has provided many facilities, so women can fast easily.

If, arguably, they cannot keep it, or have to face hardship due to hot days etc., then they can make up for it later in the winter days, because fasting in winter is easier.

And if any pregnant or breastfeeding woman does not make up the missed fasts and feeds a poor person in exchange for every fast, then this is also sufficient; she does not need to make up (Qada).

(And Allah knows best).

Reference: https://alfurqan.info/problems/505