People exempt from fasting

http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/25001

My wife has type 2 diabetes since 2004.She was taking diabetic tablets before 2005.But from 2005 until now (2013) she is on insulin and she takes insulin thrice a day, before each meal i.e breakfast,luch and dinner.She gave birth 3 children under this condition and her pregnancy was always a hig-risk pregnancy.Alahamdulillah my all 3 children are healthy and fine.

In her early diabetic years she was doing fasting without any problem but as the years are passing on, she is unable to fasting anymore.She tried it but her conditions become worst and she has to break fast.Her diabetic doctor ( Non-Muslim Australian doctor) strongly advised her to not to do fasting anymore, otherwise it will be life threatning for her .That Non-muslim doctor also takes advise about that matter with her Muslim doctor colleage and that Muslim doctor also agrees with her and said that in Islam is it allowed to skip fasting if the disease is life threatning.

Now I'd like to know according to Quran and Sunnah what she needs to do ?

1.Can she skip fasting , as her medical condition is not allowed her to do fasting anymore ?

2.What would be fidya for past fasting days and future ?

3.What would be the fidya for one fast ?

4.What would be fidya or Kufarra for her breaking fasts (Incomplete fasts) due to illness ?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

1.) Islam is a religion of compassion and does not enjoin on a person that which is beyond their capacity.

In your wife's case, her own past experience of her ailment worsening from fasting and the advice of a competent Muslim doctor are sufficient for her to be excused from fasting. She will pay the fidya instead. [i]

As long as her condition remains chronic such that she cannot fast either in Ramadan or make it up later she will continue to give fidya instead of fasting.

However, if her condition improves in the future by the will of Allah to the point where she is able to fast, then she will have to make up all those fasts by fasting even if their fidya was paid. [ii]

2. & 3.) The fidya of each fast is half a Saa' (1.75kg to 2.32 kg / 3.86 lb to 5.11 lb) of wheat (or its monetary equivalent). It is equivalent to the amount of the sadaqah al-fitr in your country. [iii]

For Australia, you can verify the exact amount by contacting the Darul Iftaa in Australia at: http://www.fatwa.org.au/contact-us.html

4.) If she broke the fast because of her illness, there is no kaffarah on her, only making up of the fast. Since she cannot make up the fast due to her illness, she will give fidya for that fast as well.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Sohail ibn Arif,
Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.