❖ Is an Elderly Person Allowed to Skip Fasting?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
Can an elderly person skip fasting?
❖ Answer:
There is consensus (ijmāʿ) among scholars that an elderly person who cannot endure fasting is permitted not to fast. Instead, for each missed fast, he should feed one needy person.
❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said:
الشَّيْخُ وَالشَّيْخَةُ إِذَا لَمْ يُطِيقَا الصِّيَامَ يُطْعِمَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مِسْكِينًا
“An elderly man and elderly woman who are unable to fast should feed one poor person for every day (of fasting missed).”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4505❀ It is reported that Sayyidunā Anas bin Mālik رضي الله عنه, when he became old and could no longer fast, would not fast, but instead would feed (the poor).
Tafsīr ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 184 – Chain is authentic (ṣaḥīḥ)
Summary:
① An elderly man or woman who cannot physically bear fasting is permitted to skip it.
② For each day missed, they should feed one needy person.
③ This ruling is established by consensus and supported by the practice of the Companions.
