If a doctor asks a patient to break his fast to avert harm from him, what is the ruling on the patient refusing this request?

The questioner : A questioner says: In some medical cases, during fasting, a doctor may ask the patient to break his fast in order to avert harm from him. The patient may refuse to break his fast, either out of his own effort to seek reward from Allah, or because he does not wish to fast other days later. What is the ruling on the doctor’s request in such a case for that patient? And what is the ruling on the patient refusing to break his fast, which may harm him if he continues fasting?

The Shaykh : As for the doctor, it is obligatory for him to order the patient to break his fast if fasting harms him, because he is entrusted with trust. Allah the Exalted said: . As for the patient, if the trustworthy doctor says that fasting harms him, then fasting becomes forbidden for him, based on the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: , . If someone says: “The verse is about killing” , we say that 'Amr ibn al-'As used this verse as evidence for what causes harm, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved him. 'Amr ibn al-'As was sent by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on a military expedition, and he had major ritual impurity. The night was cold, and he feared that if he took a full ritual bath, he might die or catch a cold and fever. The second possibility is certain, as there was no fear of death. When he arrived in Madinah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: أصليت بأصحابك وأنت جنب قال يا رسول الله ، ذكرت قول الله تعالى : ولا تقتلوا أنفسكم وكانت الليلة باردة فتيممت، فضحك النبي صلي الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم تقريرا لفعله Did you pray with your companions while in a state of major ritual impurity? He said: O Messenger of Allah, I remembered the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And do not kill yourselves.” The night was cold, so I performed dry ablution with clean earth. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his companions) smiled in approval of his action.. So we say the verse covers killing and what is less than that; anything that causes harm to yourself is forbidden for you. So we say to the patient whom the doctor told that fasting harms him, but he fasted: “This is forbidden for you. It is feared that if you fasted and your fasting was the cause of your death, you would be among those who assisted in killing themselves.” Yes.