Illness and concessions for breaking fast

A minor headache for example with no other conditions may not in many instances constitute a situation where a person can use the flexibility of the injunction of illness to skip Ramadan fast.  Scholars agree that sickness that doesn’t cause any hardship cannot be used as an excuse for not fasting.

Some of the conditions for breaking fast during Ramadan are as follows:
Intense illness that will further aggravate the illness if he or she were to fast, or that recovery will be delayed because of fasting. 
Illness that causes great pain in fasting or it becomes unbearable with fasting.  

“The person who is unable to fast because of a sickness which he hopes will go away is not obliged to fast. This applies if he encounters obvious difficulty in fasting and is not subject to the condition that he reaches a point when he is unable to fast. 

Rather our companions said: The permission not to fast is subject to the condition that fasting causes him difficulties that it is hard for him to bear.”  (Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’, 6/261)

Again, consider  this: “With regard to the person who is slightly sick and who does not suffer any obvious hardship, it is not permissible for him to break his fast, and there is no difference of opinion among us concerning that. (Al-Nawawi – Al-Majmoo’, 6/261)

This means the sick person who is not affected by fasting, such as one who has a slight cold or headache, or a slight toothache and the like, is not permitted to break his fast. The injuction in Quran 2 verse 185 is refering to cronic illness that causes great pain and difficulty or that is unbearable.  You cannot say because you want to keep the fast and cause great harm to yourself.  It depends on the individual and the nature of illness.  Almighty allah loves His concessions to be accepted just as He hates the disobedience of His commandments.

‘A’ishah (r.t.a) said: The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) was never given the choice between two things but he would choose the easier of them, unless it was a sin. If it was a sin he would be the furthest away from it.  (al-Bukhari (6786) and Muslim (2327)

Again, Islam provides concessions to the aged or people who neither can fast nor can make up for the missed fasts later. Any of these people will have to feed one poor person a day as equivalent to one day fasting. The Quran states: “And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskeen (poor person) (for every day)”  (Surah al-Baqarah 2:184)

The concession on pregnant and nursing women is slightly different, if they can’t bear the rigours of fasting, they should not fast but they have to pay pack after delivery or when it is convenient for them before the next Ramadan.  Most women mix up these issues and go on to feed the poor to replace their fast.

No sound Muslim is permanently exempted from fasting unless the aged and the terminally sick persons.  The pregnant woman or nursing mother still have the opportunity to fast at a later date. Ibn ‘Abbas (r.t) said: Concession to feed the poor refers to old men and old women who cannot fast, so they should feed one poor person for each day. —– Narrated by al-Bukhari, 4505.  

May Allah accept it and reward us abundantly.