Pregnancy, Breastfeeding & Fasting

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

The basic principle is that being pregnant or breastfeeding does not exempt you from fasting.

It is obligatory upon such women to act upon the commanding verse in the Qurʾān (2: 183) and fast in the blessed month of Ramaḍān, partaking in its rewards and benefits, in shāʾ Allāh Taʿālā.

However, from the Mercy of Allāh Taʿālā who knows full well the weaknesses that can arise from pregnancy and nursing, there are certain circumstances that will allow a woman to abstain from fasting or break her fast, and make up these fasts when she is later able to do so.

If fasting whilst pregnant or breastfeeding results in actual harm to the mother or baby then she should break her fast. Real harm may be, for example, feeling faint whilst fasting or one's milk supply dropping so that the child is not getting enough milk.

If there is reasonable fear of harm occurring if she was to fast, then she may also abstain from fasting and make the fasts up at a later date.

Reasonable fear of harm is determined through three ways: clear signs, past experience of a similar situation, or the instruction of a practising Muslim doctor.

A clear sign, for example, may be the pregnant woman's blood pressure dropping. Past experience may be her experience of a previous pregnancy when she was in similar health, the same trimester and the fasts were of similar length. And the instruction of a practising Muslim doctor must be based on asking clearly if there would be any health risks for that individual specifically to abstain from food and drink for a set number of hours - simply asking most health professionals 'can I fast?' usually results in a generalised 'no'.

Please note some amount of weakness is normal during fasting and does not exempt a person from fasting. If this weakness and pain is severe and does not decrease with the body’s accustomisation to fasting for a few days, then this is when we consider this pregnancy/breastfeeding to be akin to an illness.

Each woman is different, and for one woman each pregnancy is also different. Therefore it is important for Muslim women to have an intention to fast and prepare accordingly if possible - for example, introducing solids where feasible to decrease demand on the breastmilk supply, and at the same time recognise the limits of their body and not put themselves or the baby into any harm.

As for 'fidya', it is only payable by those people who have such an illness whereby there is no hope of recovery - such as very old age or a chronic illness. Therefore paying fidya is not applicable in most pregnancy and breastfeeding scenarios,  and the missed fasts will have to be made up when one is able to do so.

We know this can be extremely difficult when there are many fasts, sometimes across many years, to make up so it is advisable to speak to a practising Muslim doctor and other pious, experienced mothers to implement a plan whereby you miss the least number of fasts as possible. It may be that fasting one day on and one day off may work for some women, thus allowing them to partake in the Blessed Month and decreasing their responsibility of missed fasts.

WORKS CITED

قال ابن عابدين في رد المحتار (2:464)

قوله: (خمسة) هي السفر والحبل والارضاع والمرض والكبر...(أو حامل) هي المرأة التي في بطنها حمل بفتح الحاء: أي ولد...(أو مرضع) هي التي شأنها الإرضاع وإن لم تباشره، والمرضعة هي التي في حال الإرضاع ملقمة ثديها الصبي. نهر عن الكشاف.

قوله: (وصحيح خاف المرض) أي بغلبة الظن كما يأتي، فما في شرح المجمع من أنه لا يفطر، محمول على أن المراد بالخوف مجرد الوهم كما في البحر والشرح شرنبلالية. قوله: (وخادمة) في القهستاني عن الخزانة ما نصه: إن الحر الخادم أو العبد أو الذاهب لسد النهر أو كريه إذا اشتد الحر وخاف الهلاك فله الإفطار كحرة أو أمة ضعفت للطبخ أو غسل الثوب اه‍. ط. قوله: (بغلبة الظن) تنازعه خاف الذي في المتن وخاف وخافت اللتان في الشرح ط. قوله: (بأمارة) أي علامة.

قوله: (أو تجربة) ولو كانت من غير المريض عند اتحاد المرض ط عن أبي السعود. قوله: (حاذق) أي له معرفة تامة في الطب، فلا يجوز تقليد من له أدنى معرفة فيه ط. قوله: (مسلم) أما الكافر فلا يعتمد على قوله لاحتمال أن غرضه إفساد العبادة كمسلم شرع في الصلاة بالتيمم فوعده بإعطاء الماء فإنه لا يقطع الصلاة لما قلنا. بحر. قوله: (مستور) وقيل عدالته شرط، وجزم به الزيلعي، وظاهر ما في البحر والنهر ضعفه ط.

وقال السرخسي في المبسوط (3:99):

وإذا خافت الحامل أو المرضع علی نفسها أو ولدها أفطرت، لقوله صلی الله عليه وسلم: إن الله تعالی وضع عن المسافر شطر الصلوة والصوم وعن الحامل والمرضع الصوم، ولأنه يلحقها الحرج في نفسها أو ولدها، والحرج عذر في الفطر كالمريض والمسافر، وعليها القضاء ولا كفارة عليها.

وقال ابن الهمام في فتح القدیر (2:350):

الأعذار المبيحة للفطر: المرض والسفر والحبل والرضاع إذا أضر بها أو بولدها۔

Written by: Muftiya Safiyya Maryam, Darul Ilm Birmingham.

Approved by: Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah