#573: The Fast of the Pregnant and Breastfeeding Woman
QUESTION
“Assalamu alaykum Admin.pls am a breastfeeding mother is it allow of me to alternate my Ramadhan fast.like if I fast today I will not fast tomorrow so that it will not affect me nd my baby? Please urgent.”
ANSWER
Wa alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh.
Alhamdulillāh.
We ask Allāh to bless your child and make him/her of the Revivers of this Dīn, of the bearers of Truth and the Leaders of the Ummah on the Path of Piety, āmīn
As for your question, know, may Allāh be merciful upon us and you, that it is neither permissible for a Pregnant woman nor a breast feeding mother to refuse to observe the fast of Ramadān unless she genuinely fears for herself or her baby if she fasts, or she suffers immensely from the fast. This is because the fast of Ramadān was made obligatory upon every Muslim man and woman without exceptions. And that which was made obligatory is not lifted or delayed from its term unless by virtue of a compelling necessity. This is a point of agreement among the ‘Ulamā.
Al-Mawwāq Al-Mālikī – rahimahullāh – in At-Tāju Wa Al-Iklīl said:
“The breastfeeding mother, whenever breastfeeding does not harm her or her child, or it harms her but there is wealth with which she can employ a wet nurse, from her son, her father or her mother, and the baby would accept other than her own breast milk, then it is obligatory upon her to fast. But if that will harm her and she fears for herself or her baby, and the child will not accept other than her (breast milk) or will accept other than her’s but there is no hireable alternative wet nurse found, or that is found but there is no money with which to hire that, it becomes obligatory upon her to not observe the fast. But if she suffers from the fast but does not fear for herself nor for her baby, and the baby will not accept other than her (breast milk), she is at liberty to choose between the fast and not fasting.”
And whenever she fears for herself or her baby ill health by virtue of the fast, some of the ‘Ulamā held that it is Harām for her to fast.
Al-Mardāwī said in Al-Insāf:
“It is disliked that she fasts if this is her situation… While Ibn ‘Aqīl mentioned that if a pregnant woman and a breastfeeding mother fear for her pregnancy or her child during breastfeeding, fasting is not permissible. And if she fears not, not fasting is not permissible.”
The genuine fear referred to can be measured by the recommendation of an upright Muslim Doctor or Medical Personnel, or by the difficulty that she or her baby faces if she fasts.
It has been established Sahīh in the Hadīth recorded by Imām Ahmad and the Collectors of the Sunan from the Companion Anas Ibn Mālik Al-Ka’abī that the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – alleviated the fast for the breast feeding mother and the pregnant woman and compared them with the traveller who travels. This Hadīth was considered Sahih by Al-Albānī in his Sahih Sunan An-Nasā’ī.
When she doesn’t observe the fast due to any of these two reasons, it is obligatory upon her to compensate for these whenever her difficulty is uplifted and her baby is born or her breastfeeding is over.
However the Ulamā differed as to the way with which she makes a compensation.
Imām Al-Jassās referred to this difference in his Ahkāmu Al-Qur’ān when he said:
“The Salaf differed about this and held three positions. Alī said: they must only pay back the fasts if they missed them and feeding is not obligatory upon them. Ibn ‘Abbās said: feeding is what is obligatory upon them not paying back the fast. Ibn ‘Umar said: it is obligatory upon them to feed and to pay back the fast.”
The first position, which is that held by the Companion ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (as was recorded from him by Al-Jassās), Imām Ahmad and Ash-Shāfi’ī, and majority of the ‘Ulamā within their Schools is that if the fear was over herself, she is to pay back the fast only after her difficulty is gone. But if the fear was over her pregnancy or her breastfeeding child, then she must feed the needy every day she misses the fast and then observe an expiation after her difficulty is over by fasting the days she missed.
The Second Position, which is that held by the illustrious Companion ‘Abdullah Ibn Abbās – radiyallāhu ‘anhu. And an opinion held by Ibn ‘Umar as was attributed to him by Ibn Qudāmah Al-Maqdisī in Al-Mughnī, is that the Pregnant woman and the Breast feeding mother who missed a fast due to their condition are only obliged to compensate each day they missed with feeding the needy.
Imām Abū Dāwud and Imām Al-Bazzār in their Sunan narrated a sound Statement to Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbās this position.
The third position which is that held by ‘Alī Ibn Abī Tālib – radiyallāhu ‘anhu – among the Sahābah, and Imām Abū Hanīfah, is that they may only compensate the missed fasts by fasting at their time of ease, nothing else. Whether they missed due to fear over themselves or due to fear over their babies.
As for Imām Al-Layth Ibn Sa’ad and a position attributed to Imām Mālik by Ibn Qudāmah Al-Maqdisī – rahimahullāh – in Al-Mughnī, compensating the fast is only obligatory upon the Breast feeding woman while the obligation of feeding is upon the pregnant. And the reasoning here is that they compared the Pregnant to the old or the sick whose sickness is not hoped to cease. And this is because once she puts to bed, she will be faced with the need for breast feeding the baby. Whereas the breast feeding mother is compared to the sick whose illness is temporary.
That said, it should be understood that:
Alī – radiyallāhu ‘anhu – compared them both to the Traveller and the one who is ill with a temporal illness and therefore viewed that the fast is compensated by fasting once the difficulty is gone.
Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbās compared them both to the old and the one whose Illness is permanent or almost permanent in whose case feeding is used to compensate for inability to observe the fast.
Ibn ‘Umar considered compensating with a fast after the difficulty is gone if the fear was on herself and then expiation with feeding if the fear was on the baby alongside the fast once the difficulty is lifted.
What seems apparent, and Allāh knows best is that the position upheld by ‘Alī Ibn Abi Tālib is strongest as this is the most similar to the position of the pregnant and breast feeding mother. Their conditions are temporary and she may only compensate for the days missed by fasting once her difficulty is gone. Whether the fear is for her baby or for herself.
As for the method mentioned in your question, there doesn’t seem to be an adequate fear over yourself or your baby, nor difficulty in the fast. In that case, what is right is that you observe the fast completely as best as you can.
Bārakallāhu fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran
20th Sha’bān 1439AH
📚 IslamNode
