Concerns for a Weak Fasting Friend

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
I am working with a sister who has been admitted to the emergency room several times. She fasts a lot and eats very little. She has passed out, hit her head and fallen down stairs, but insists on fasting. I am very concerned for her.
So I was wondering if there are any islamic ruling that would make it incumbent upon her to stop fasting.

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
May Allah give her a swift and complete recovery. Amin.
If she is too ill or too weak to fast, then she would be excused from fasting until she regains enough strength to be able to do so. Likewise, if she becomes very weak or it becomes very difficult to continue fasting due to her illness and subsequent bodily weakness, it would be permitted for her to break her fast. There is no obligation to cause harm to oneself in such a manner. In fact, doing so could be a contravention of the Sacred Law.
Please see: ILLNESS AND FASTING and: The Complete Guide to Fasting
See also: Virtues of Fasting in the Summer Taken from: Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalī’s “Latā’if Maʿārif” and: Fasting – Its Virtues and Principles – Imam Ghazali (from al-Arba`in fi Usul al-Din)
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani