Who Decides If I Can Skip Fasting for Health Reasons?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Can I be exempt from fasting in Ramadan based on my dietitian and therapist’s recommendations, or must a doctor confirm it? Does my current relapse affect the validity of this exemption?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

If you are suffering from the conditions you describe and your doctors have you on a specific plan/regimen to overcome these conditions that would necessitate not fasting Ramadan, you are permitted to forego fasting Ramadan.

The criteria for a legitimate excuse to forgo fasting in Ramadan is reasonable surety or certainty that the fasting will cause undue difficulty for you. This reasonable surety can be attained through previous experience, through signs and symptoms, or the advice of an expert doctor. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

In the case of the latter, the doctor must be a Muslim doctor who knows the rulings of Islam regarding fasting for his advice to be legally recognized wholesale. If he is not Muslim, or is Muslim but not knowledgeable of the rules of fasting, you can use his advice to determine for yourself whether undue difficulty will result due to fasting. [Ibid.]

If you decide that undue harm is reasonably likely, you are permitted to forego the fast. However, you are obliged to eventually make up any missed days of fasting. [Ibid.]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.