What is obligatory for a pregnant or nursing woman if she breaks her fast in Ramadan?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
We move on to other letters and other topics through these letters. This is a letter that reached the program from one of the listening brothers, containing a number of questions. It appears our brother forgot to write his name. In any case, the questions say, the first of them:
Is it permissible for a pregnant or nursing woman to break her fast in Ramadan, with only the fidyah (ransom payment) required of them, without making up the fasts?
Answer:
This is a matter of scholarly disagreement among the scholars. Some of the scholars said: The fidyah is required of them only, and they may break their fasts; because the pregnancy may continue, and Ramadan may continue, so they would not have an opportunity to make up the fasts. This is narrated from Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), and it was said by a group of the Salaf (the earliest generations).
The second opinion is that they are like the sick person: if fasting is difficult for them, they break their fasts and make them up; if it is not difficult for them, they fast. This opinion is the stronger position and the one with the strongest evidence, and it is the one for which there is a sound hadith from Anas ibn Malik al-Ka'bi, not Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari, that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 2025.
This indicates that they are like the traveler. The traveler in fasting breaks his fast and makes it up, and they are the same. The traveler is specifically granted the shortening of the prayer, so Allah removed half of the prayer from him, meaning the four-rak'ah prayers: Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha'. There is no one in the world who shortens the prayer except the traveler. The sick person does not shorten, and the pregnant and nursing women do not shorten. Only the traveler shortens, praying the four-rak'ah prayers as two rak'ahs: Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha' only.
Some people may make a mistake and think that the sick person shortens, and this is a mistake. The sick person does not shorten; the sick person prays four rak'ahs. The correct ruling for the pregnant and nursing women is that they are like the traveler and the sick person: they break their fasts and make them up, and no fidyah is required of them. This is the stronger position and the correct one, and it is what we issue as a ruling. It appears to be the opinion of the majority of the scholars; because they are similar to the sick person. Fasting may be difficult for them because of the nursing and because of the pregnancy, or it may not be difficult for them, like a person with a mild illness, in which case they fast. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah bless you and make benefit from your knowledge.
We move on to other letters and other topics through these letters. This is a letter that reached the program from one of the listening brothers, containing a number of questions. It appears our brother forgot to write his name. In any case, the questions say, the first of them:
Is it permissible for a pregnant or nursing woman to break her fast in Ramadan, with only the fidyah (ransom payment) required of them, without making up the fasts?
Answer:
This is a matter of scholarly disagreement among the scholars. Some of the scholars said: The fidyah is required of them only, and they may break their fasts; because the pregnancy may continue, and Ramadan may continue, so they would not have an opportunity to make up the fasts. This is narrated from Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), and it was said by a group of the Salaf (the earliest generations).
The second opinion is that they are like the sick person: if fasting is difficult for them, they break their fasts and make them up; if it is not difficult for them, they fast. This opinion is the stronger position and the one with the strongest evidence, and it is the one for which there is a sound hadith from Anas ibn Malik al-Ka'bi, not Anas ibn Malik al-Ansari, that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
God has remitted half the prayer to the traveller, and fasting to the traveller, the woman who is suckling an infant and the woman who is pregnant
إن الله وضع عن المسافر شطر الصلاة والصوم، وعن الحبلى والمرضع الصومThis indicates that they are like the traveler. The traveler in fasting breaks his fast and makes it up, and they are the same. The traveler is specifically granted the shortening of the prayer, so Allah removed half of the prayer from him, meaning the four-rak'ah prayers: Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha'. There is no one in the world who shortens the prayer except the traveler. The sick person does not shorten, and the pregnant and nursing women do not shorten. Only the traveler shortens, praying the four-rak'ah prayers as two rak'ahs: Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha' only.
Some people may make a mistake and think that the sick person shortens, and this is a mistake. The sick person does not shorten; the sick person prays four rak'ahs. The correct ruling for the pregnant and nursing women is that they are like the traveler and the sick person: they break their fasts and make them up, and no fidyah is required of them. This is the stronger position and the correct one, and it is what we issue as a ruling. It appears to be the opinion of the majority of the scholars; because they are similar to the sick person. Fasting may be difficult for them because of the nursing and because of the pregnancy, or it may not be difficult for them, like a person with a mild illness, in which case they fast. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah bless you and make benefit from your knowledge.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.