Index

Who is allowed to break fast?

Who is allowed to break fast?

Who is allowed to break fast?

Ibn Hajar al Haytami in his book “Tuhfat al Muhtaj” writes: “It is permissible for a sick person not to fast in the month of Ramadan or any other obligatory fast, if it can cause harm to the person so much that will make him resort to tayammum (in the presence of water).” [1]

“The third reason permitted for tayammum, is a condition in which there is a danger that the use of water can cause serious illness or aggravate it, but it is not mild headache or slight discomfort. It is also a danger of delaying recovery even in the absence of complications during the course of the illness.” [2]

“It is necessary to have an intention for the Sharia permission (rukhsa) for permission not to observe fasting because of illness.”

“If a traveler and a sick person do not observe fasting, then they are obliged to reimburse it after the cause has been eliminated.” [3]

According to Imam Ibn Hajar, a sick person is not only allowed to break the fast, but also the nonobservance of fasting is imputed, if there is a risk of a health hazard, aggravating a current disease or delaying the healing process. It is necessary to distinguish a serious disease from mild ailment.

References:

  • [1] Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, vol. 3, p. 429
  • [2] Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, vol. 1, p. 343
  • [3] Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, vol. 3, p. 431-432

2026-11-01 (Jumad-ul-awwal 1448) №11.


Dirham of Caliph al-Mahdi

In my collection, I have a silver dirham of the Caliph (leader of the Muslims) al-Mahdi, who inherited power from his father, Caliph al-Mansur.     The future Caliph al-Mahdi was born in 126 AH (744 AD) in the village of Humayma, located in present-day Jordan. As Caliph, his father...


The Contribution of Abu al-Hasan Thabit ibn Qurra to Science

The Golden Age of Islam was an era of remarkable scientific minds, among whom Abu al-Hasan Thabit ibn Qurra (836–901 AD) stands out for his profound influence on the fields of mathematics, astronomy and physics.   He was a key scholar at the renowned “House of Wisdom” in...


The Great Scholar Ibn Khaldun

About ten years ago, while in Tunisia, I used the local currency, dinars. My attention was caught by a striking portrait of a man wearing a Muslim turban on a 10-dinar banknote. Who was this man? I became curious. The portrait was labeled in both Arabic and French: “Ibn Khaldun,” along with the...


Facing Rudeness: How to Survive in a World of Toxic Interaction

In the office, where dozens of people cross paths daily, in queues, on public transport, and especially across the vast expanse of the internet, we encounter them everywhere.     These are the people whose presence turns every interaction into a test of one’s endurance. In...


The Importance of Studying the Biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

In the 19th century, numerous approaches to writing history emerged alongside the objective method, also known as the scientific school. Most of these other approaches converge under what is termed the “subjective method”. Sigmund Freud, the Austrian psychologist, psychoanalyst and...