What is incumbent upon the pregnant and breast feeding woman if they break their fast

Question: What is incumbent upon the pregnant and breast feeding woman if they break their fast, fearful for their children, is it (upon them) to make it up, or make it up with expiation?

Answer by Shaykh Yahya Bin 'Alee Al-Hajooree - may Allaah preserve him:

Upon her is to make it up when she is able to, Allaah - Glorified be He, said:

فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ
“.. and whoever is ill or on a journey , the same number [of days which one did not observe fast must be made up] from other days.”
(Al-Baqarah:185)

And it is affirmed from the Hadeeth of Anas Bin Maalik Al-Ka'bee, that the prophet - may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him and his family- said: "Verily Allaah has removed half the burden of the prayer for the traveler and has removed the burden of fasting from the pregnant and breast feeding woman." [1].

From them (i.e. the scholars) is he who says: This indicates that the removal here is a complete removal, that she does not fast neither does she make it up, and that which is apparent: is that He removed it from her for that period until Allaah makes easy for her the ability to make it up, due to the proof in this case, from it (the proof) is the verse we have just recited. Then it is only upon her to make it up, from those that declared this statement to be most probable is Al-Hassan Al-Basree, Ibraheim Bin Yazeed An-Nakha'ee, Dawood Azh-Zhaahiree, Sadeeq Hassan Khan and others; due to the absence of authentic clear proof regarding the obligation of expiation along with fasting for he who had misses more than one Ramadhaan.

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Footnotes:
[1] Abu Dawood, and it is reported in Saheeh Musnad (127)