✦ By: ʿUbaydullāh Ṭāhir (حفظه الله)
✦ Topic: The Fasting Obligation for Pregnant and Nursing Mothers
Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه):
“Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) came to the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah while he was having lunch. The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Come and eat with me.’ Anas replied: ‘I am fasting.’ The Prophet ﷺ then said:
‘Indeed, Allah the Almighty has lifted the obligation of fasting and halved the prayer for the traveler, and (He has also lifted it) from the pregnant and the breastfeeding woman.’”
→ [Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 2315, Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 2408, Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 715, Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1667 – Ḥasan]
This Hadith clearly proves that pregnant and breastfeeding women are exempt from fasting if they fear harm to themselves or their child.
However, the narration does not mention whether they are required to make up the missed fasts (qaḍāʾ) or pay compensation (fidya).
◈ Pregnant and breastfeeding women are permitted to not fast in Ramaḍān if they fear harm to themselves or their child.
◈ According to the majority of scholars and the Four Imams,
➝ They must make up (qaḍāʾ) the missed fasts after Ramaḍān.
◈ This is the safest and most authentic opinion, in accordance with the practice of the Companions and leading scholars.
(Based on Hadith: Sunan Abī Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah – Ḥasan)
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
✦ Topic: The Fasting Obligation for Pregnant and Nursing Mothers
❖ Hadith Evidence:
Narrated by Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه):“Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) came to the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah while he was having lunch. The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Come and eat with me.’ Anas replied: ‘I am fasting.’ The Prophet ﷺ then said:
‘Indeed, Allah the Almighty has lifted the obligation of fasting and halved the prayer for the traveler, and (He has also lifted it) from the pregnant and the breastfeeding woman.’”
→ [Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 2315, Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 2408, Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 715, Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1667 – Ḥasan]
✿ Explanation:
This Hadith clearly proves that pregnant and breastfeeding women are exempt from fasting if they fear harm to themselves or their child.
However, the narration does not mention whether they are required to make up the missed fasts (qaḍāʾ) or pay compensation (fidya).
✿ Scholarly Opinions:
➊ Some Scholars Say:
- If they break their fast due to fear for their child, they should pay fidya (feed one poor person per day).
- No need to make up the fasts.
➋ Majority View – Supported by the Four Imams (Imams Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad):
- If a pregnant or breastfeeding woman breaks her fast due to genuine fear (for herself or the child),
→ she is permitted to do so.
→ But she must make up (qaḍāʾ) the missed fasts later, just like a traveler or sick person.
→ No fidya is required, only qaḍāʾ.
Conclusion:
◈ Pregnant and breastfeeding women are permitted to not fast in Ramaḍān if they fear harm to themselves or their child.
◈ According to the majority of scholars and the Four Imams,
➝ They must make up (qaḍāʾ) the missed fasts after Ramaḍān.
◈ This is the safest and most authentic opinion, in accordance with the practice of the Companions and leading scholars.
(Based on Hadith: Sunan Abī Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah – Ḥasan)وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
