Written by: Ghulam Mustafa Zahid Ameenpuri
It is a great blessing of Allah, the Almighty, that He has chosen the easiest religion for His servants and granted them concessions. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are granted this concession: if they feel physical weakness, or fear for their child’s weakness, or a reduction in milk, they are permitted not to fast. Instead, they should feed one needy person for each missed fast, and there is no requirement for making up the fast, as narrated from Sayyidina Anas bin Malik Al-Ka'bi:
"When the horses of Allah's Messenger ﷺ attacked us, I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and found him having lunch. He said: Come and eat. I said: I am fasting. He said: Come and I will tell you about fasting. Verily, Allah has excused the traveler from fasting and half of the prayer, and He has excused the pregnant and breastfeeding woman from fasting. By Allah, the Prophet ﷺ said these words or one of them. Alas, that I did not eat from the food of the Prophet ﷺ." (Sunan Abi Dawood: 2408, Sunan An-Nasa'i: 2279, Sunan At-Tirmidhi: 715, and Sunan Ibn Majah: 1667, Hasan)
Imam Tirmidhi has graded this Hadith as "Hasan" and Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (2044) as "Sahih."
۞ Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar was asked about a pregnant woman who feared for her child's well-being. He said, she should break her fast and give one "Mudd" (approximately half a kilogram) of wheat to a needy person for each missed fast. (Al-Sunan Al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi: 4/230, with a Sahih chain)
۞ A pregnant woman asked Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar about fasting, and he said:
"Break your fast and feed a needy person for each missed day, and you do not have to make it up."
(Sunan Ad-Daraqutni: 1/207, Hadith: 2363, with a Sahih chain)
۞ Nafi’ reported that a daughter of Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar was married to a Quraishi man. She was pregnant and felt thirsty during Ramadan. Abdullah bin Umar instructed her to break her fast and feed a needy person for each missed fast. (Sunan Ad-Daraqutni: 1/207, Hadith: 2364, with a Sahih chain)
۞ Sayyidina Abdullah bin Abbas, interpreting the verse:
said: "This verse is established (not abrogated) for the pregnant and breastfeeding woman."
(Sunan Abi Dawood: 3217, with a Sahih chain)
۞ The great Tabi'i Saeed bin Jubair said about the pregnant and breastfeeding woman who fears for her child that they should not fast and feed a needy person for each missed fast, and they do not have to make it up.
(Musannaf Abdul Razzaq: 4/216, Hadith: 7555, with a Sahih chain)
The opinion of some scholars that both should make up the fasts is unsupported by evidence and hence, not worth considering.
Conclusion:
Pregnant and breastfeeding women are permitted not to fast if they fear for themselves or their children. They should feed a needy person for each missed fast, and there is no requirement for making up the fasts.
It is a great blessing of Allah, the Almighty, that He has chosen the easiest religion for His servants and granted them concessions. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are granted this concession: if they feel physical weakness, or fear for their child’s weakness, or a reduction in milk, they are permitted not to fast. Instead, they should feed one needy person for each missed fast, and there is no requirement for making up the fast, as narrated from Sayyidina Anas bin Malik Al-Ka'bi:
أ غارت علینا خیل رسول اللہ ﷺ فاتیت رسول اللہ ﷺ، فو جد تّہ یتغدّی، فقال : ادن ، فکل ، فقلت: انّی صائم ، فقال: ادن أحدّثک عن الصّوم أوالصّیام، انّ اللہ تعالیٰ وضع عن المسافر الصّوم وشطر الصّلاۃ، وعن الحامل أو المرضع الصّوم أالصّیام، واللہ !لقد قالھما النّبیّﷺ کلتیھما أو احد اھما، فیالھف نفسی أب کا أکون طعمت من طعام النّبیّ ﷺ۔
"When the horses of Allah's Messenger ﷺ attacked us, I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and found him having lunch. He said: Come and eat. I said: I am fasting. He said: Come and I will tell you about fasting. Verily, Allah has excused the traveler from fasting and half of the prayer, and He has excused the pregnant and breastfeeding woman from fasting. By Allah, the Prophet ﷺ said these words or one of them. Alas, that I did not eat from the food of the Prophet ﷺ." (Sunan Abi Dawood: 2408, Sunan An-Nasa'i: 2279, Sunan At-Tirmidhi: 715, and Sunan Ibn Majah: 1667, Hasan)
Imam Tirmidhi has graded this Hadith as "Hasan" and Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (2044) as "Sahih."
۞ Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar was asked about a pregnant woman who feared for her child's well-being. He said, she should break her fast and give one "Mudd" (approximately half a kilogram) of wheat to a needy person for each missed fast. (Al-Sunan Al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi: 4/230, with a Sahih chain)
۞ A pregnant woman asked Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar about fasting, and he said:
أفطری، أطعمی عن کل یوم مسکیناً ولا تقضی.
"Break your fast and feed a needy person for each missed day, and you do not have to make it up."
(Sunan Ad-Daraqutni: 1/207, Hadith: 2363, with a Sahih chain)
۞ Nafi’ reported that a daughter of Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar was married to a Quraishi man. She was pregnant and felt thirsty during Ramadan. Abdullah bin Umar instructed her to break her fast and feed a needy person for each missed fast. (Sunan Ad-Daraqutni: 1/207, Hadith: 2364, with a Sahih chain)
۞ Sayyidina Abdullah bin Abbas, interpreting the verse:
وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ (البقرۃ: ۱۸۴)
said: "This verse is established (not abrogated) for the pregnant and breastfeeding woman."
(Sunan Abi Dawood: 3217, with a Sahih chain)
۞ The great Tabi'i Saeed bin Jubair said about the pregnant and breastfeeding woman who fears for her child that they should not fast and feed a needy person for each missed fast, and they do not have to make it up.
(Musannaf Abdul Razzaq: 4/216, Hadith: 7555, with a Sahih chain)
The opinion of some scholars that both should make up the fasts is unsupported by evidence and hence, not worth considering.
Conclusion:
Pregnant and breastfeeding women are permitted not to fast if they fear for themselves or their children. They should feed a needy person for each missed fast, and there is no requirement for making up the fasts.