The illnesses that permit breaking the fast during the day in Ramadan are divided into two types:

Chronic Illnesses:

These are illnesses that are generally incurable, such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Fasting can exacerbate these conditions, slow down their treatment, and cause daily symptoms and complications, requiring the patient to eat and take medication during the day.

For those in this condition, it is prescribed to break the fast during the day in Ramadan and to pay a fidyah (compensation) for each day of fasting they miss. This also applies to the elderly who are unable to fast. The fidya in this case is to feed a poor person for each missed fasting day.

Allāh says: “And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person.” [Al-Baqarah: 184]. One interpretation of “able [to fast, but with hardship]” is that it refers to those who can fast but with difficulty, such as the elderly, and by extension, those with chronic illnesses. These individuals are permitted to break the fast and feed a poor person instead. This meaning is agreed upon by the jurists (fuqahā᾽).

Alternatively, the verse could be interpreted by assuming an omitted negation, meaning “unable to fast,” as in: “By Allāh, you will [not] cease remembering Joseph.” [Yūsuf: 85] meaning “you will not cease,” and “And We placed within the earth firmly set mountains so that it [does not] shift with them.” [Al-᾽Anbiyā᾽: 31) meaning “so that it does not shift with them.”

This interpretation applies to chronic illnesses. Ibn ῾Aābidīn mentioned in Al-Ḥāshiyah:

“If the patient is confirmed to have no hope of recovery, he must pay fidya for each day of illness.”

Ibn Qudāmah stated in Al-Mughnī: “The patient who has no hope of recovery breaks the fast and feeds a poor person for each day.”

Al-Zarkashī, in his Sharḥ on Mukhtaṣar al-Khiraqī, said: “In the same way that the inability to fast due to old age is excused, so is the inability to fast due to a chronic illness.”

Severe Non-Chronic Illnesses:

These are temporary illnesses that can be treated but make fasting difficult, such as surgical operations, glandular diseases requiring treatment, severe colds, and illnesses needing nutritional solutions.

These conditions can justify breaking the fast during Ramadan, provided that the missed days are made up after recovery, according to the majority of jurists. Some scholars, like Ḥātim al-᾽Aṣam, and endorsed by Al-Fakhr al-Rāzī, also allow for feeding the poor instead of making up the days.

Determining the Amount of Fidya:

Jurists have different views on the amount of fidya based on the type of food:

• Ḥanafīs: The fidya for fasting is half a ṣā῾ (approximately 3 kg or 6-7 pounds) of wheat, or a ṣā῾ of dates or barley. If we consider dates, the cost would be around $20.
• Mālikīs and Shāfi῾īs: The fidya is a mudd of food, which is about half a kilogram and several grams, or approximately 1.5 pounds, costing around $10.
• Ḥanbalīs: The fidya is a mudd of wheat or half a ṣā῾ of other foods, which is about 3 pounds and a bit more, estimated to be around $15.

Given the inflation and rising prices, our estimate for this year’s fidya for breaking the fast in Ramadan is:

• $20 according to the Ḥanafī school.
• $15 according to the majority view.

This fidya should be paid for each day missed.

Fatwā issued by Dr. Khālid Naṣr