The fast of someone who is ill - Sheikh Uthaymeen

With regards to the ill person fasting in Ramadhan, Sheikh Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaimeen rahimahullaah comments:

Illness (of the person during Ramadhan) is of three types:

1) An illness which the person is not expected to become cured from – rather it is continuous.

So this person – there is no fasting upon this ill person. Rather it is upon him to feed a needy person for each day, because he (this ill person) is just like an elderly person who is unable to fast, one whose inability is not expected to pass away.

2) The sick person who has an illness such that fasting will harm him.

And it is feared that it may cause destruction for him – such as an illness where a person cannot do without water, like some of the types of sugar diabetes and the like of that.

Then it is forbidden for this person to fast because of the saying of Allaah, the Most High:

‘And do not kill yourselves. Allaah is ever Merciful to you.’
{Soorah an Nisaa- 4:29}

3) An illness where fasting is difficult but there is no actual harm involved in it.

It is better that he abstains from fasting and does not fast. And he can make it up later on after that.

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As for an illness which is not affected at all by fasting, such as having a slight eye ailment or a dental illness and the like of that, then it is not permissible for him to abstain from fasting because the wisdom behind the concession (of not fasting) is to remove difficulty; and there is no difficulty at all for this person.  So it is not permissible for him to abstain from fasting.

And the asl is that fasting is obligatory in its time unless there is a clear proof permitting the person to abstain from fasting and then make it up after that.

(Sharh Riyaad is Saliheen 3/438 of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaymeen rahimahullaah - translated by Aboo Talhah Dawud Burbank rahimahullaah)

Transcribed by Nasser ibn Najam