The ruling on a nursing woman making up fasts and whether she is required to feed the poor
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A woman asks: If a nursing woman fears for her child or for herself, and does not fast in Ramadan, and then makes up the fasts after Ramadan without feeding a poor person, is her fasting valid, or what is required of her? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The correct view is that fasting suffices for her, and praise be to Allah, and she is not required to feed anyone. If she broke her fast because of her child, such that if she fasted he would not get milk, or if she broke her fast because of pregnancy, where fasting would harm her during pregnancy or due to illness, then she only has to make up the fasts and is not required to feed anyone. In fact, some hold that she must feed if she broke her fast for the sake of the child, but the correct view is that nothing is required of her; she makes up the fasts, and praise be to Allah. This is because Allah says[Al-Baqarah 2:185] and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted a dispensation to the pregnant and nursing woman to break her fast, and he did not order her to feed. So if the pregnant or nursing woman breaks her fast due to harm or hardship, she is like the sick person: she makes up the fasts and is not required to feed.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good,
A woman asks: If a nursing woman fears for her child or for herself, and does not fast in Ramadan, and then makes up the fasts after Ramadan without feeding a poor person, is her fasting valid, or what is required of her? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The correct view is that fasting suffices for her, and praise be to Allah, and she is not required to feed anyone. If she broke her fast because of her child, such that if she fasted he would not get milk, or if she broke her fast because of pregnancy, where fasting would harm her during pregnancy or due to illness, then she only has to make up the fasts and is not required to feed anyone. In fact, some hold that she must feed if she broke her fast for the sake of the child, but the correct view is that nothing is required of her; she makes up the fasts, and praise be to Allah. This is because Allah says
and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days
وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَThe presenter:
May Allah reward you with good,
Source
فتاوى المسجد الحرام (شعبان ١٤١٧ هـ) - ٥ — archive.org (44:29)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.