What Is The Ruling On Breaking The Fast Due To Physical Weakness?

According to SAEDNEWS, Fasting (Arabic: صوم و صیام) is the act of abstaining from eating, drinking, and certain other specific actions from dawn to sunset, as a means of following God's command. Fasting is one of the branches of religion, a supreme act of worship, and one of the five pillars of Islam. It also existed in various forms in pre-Islamic religions. Religious texts mention numerous moral and spiritual benefits of fasting, such as: acquiring piety, serving as a shield against the fire of Hell, expiating sins, being the charity of the body, and distancing oneself from Satan. Additionally, fasting is said to have physical and psychological effects, including reducing anxiety and depression, increasing self-esteem, and preventing heart and vascular diseases.

From a jurisprudential perspective, fasting can be classified into four categories: obligatory ( واجب), recommended ( مستحب), disliked ( مکروه), and forbidden ( حرام), with fasting during the month of Ramadan being an obligatory fast. Actions that invalidate fasting include eating and drinking, sexual intercourse, lying about God, the Prophet (PBUH), and the Imams (AS), inhaling thick dust, remaining in a state of ritual impurity (جنابت), menstruation (حیض), post-childbirth bleeding (نفاس), masturbation, submerging the entire head underwater, and vomiting. If a person who is obligated to fast intentionally performs any of these invalidating actions, they are required to make up for the fast and perform a compensation (کفاره).

Physical Weakness and Fasting

Physical weakness is an issue faced by some fast participants, who, due to a doctor's approval or personal reasoning, are unable to perform fasting during this specific time. The question arises whether they should make up for the fast afterward. Below, we answer this question based on the rulings found in the book of Questions on Jurisprudence, according to the fatwa of the Supreme Leader and Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi.

Opinion of the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Khamenei)
Question 750: I have not fasted from the age of puberty to 12 due to physical weakness. What is my duty now?
Answer: You are obligated to make up for the fasts of Ramadan that you missed, even though you had reached the age of duty. If the breaking of the fast was intentional and without a valid excuse, the expiation (کفاره) is also required.

Opinion of Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi
Question: A girl has reached puberty, but due to physical weakness, she is unable to fast during the blessed month of Ramadan. She will not be able to make up the fast until the following year. What is her ruling?
Answer: She must pay the expiation of food (کفاره مدّ طعام), which means giving 750 grams of wheat or its equivalent to the poor for each day. She is not required to make up the fast.

What is the limit for breaking the fast due to thirst?
Thirst must reach a level where the person fears fainting. In such cases, they should drink enough water to save their life. Although their fast becomes invalid, they must still avoid anything that invalidates fasting for the remainder of the day. This ruling shows that only in cases of extreme difficulty should one discontinue fasting for the day.

However, some people mistakenly think that because they have to work outside the home during the day, they are exempt from fasting! One important issue that many might not fully understand is the virtue of fasting. This is why we are often unwilling to endure the hardships of fasting. Although the days of Ramadan are long this year, it is still spring, and the weather is not as hot as in the summer. Despite this, we see people breaking their fast in public, among others.

In the book "Thawab al-A'mal," it is mentioned that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “The limbs of the believing fasting person engage in praise, the angels send blessings upon him, and they seek forgiveness for him from God.” But unfortunately, we, inattentive to this important virtue, often focus more on worldly desires than on the eternal life of the Hereafter. This attachment to the world makes us oblivious, a form of heedlessness intertwined with sin.