Can I Skip Ramadan Fasts Because of a Stomach Ulcer?

Darulifta Ahlesunnat (Dawateislami)

Question

What do the noble scholars and jurists of Islamic law say about the following: Just a few days ago, I had stomach pain, and I couldn’t digest food at all. After treatment, the issue was cured, but now, my stomach feels heavy. The doctor diagnosed it as an ulcer, for which I am currently undergoing treatment. So, can I skip the fasts of Ramadan because of this? My sister also has this ailment, and she told me that it is necessary to keep eating and drinking in this illness; otherwise, the pain increases significantly due to an empty stomach.

Answer

Whether it be a stomach ulcer or any other ailment, this is not always a sharī’aĥ valid reason to skip fasts. Many people who have stomach ulcers fast during Ramadan and their illness does not worsen. Therefore, if the illness is this minor, it is not an excuse to skip fasting, and the one who skips the fast will be sinful. However, if the nature of the ulcer is such that fasting would cause harm, i.e., fasting would worsen the illness, or if one has a dominant assumption that fasting would delay recovery, in this case, it is permissible to skip fasting. Upon recovery, offering Qada’ of the fast will be necessary. Here, the dominant assumption means that there is a clear sign or symptom that the disease will worsen, the patient has previous experience, or he was informed by a professional Muslim doctor who is not known to be a fasiq. If a doctor of such attributes is not present, he should at least be known for his expertise in his field; don’t consider a person to be an expert merely because of their numerous degrees. Even then, it is most cautious to seek the opinion of multiple doctors.

Also remember that you cannot skip the fast based on your sister’s experience because sharī’aĥ only accepts the experience of the patient themself. It is not permissible to skip the fasts based on the words of another person, even if he is suffering from the same ailment.

Regarding the ruling of a patient keeping fasts or not, Imam Burhan-Uddin Marghinani عليه الرحمة states in al-Hidayah:

و من كان مريضا في رمضان فخاف إن صام ازداد مرضه أفطر و قضى

(Al-Hidayah Sharah al-Bidayah, Vol. 1, p. 123, Publ. Dar Ihya’ al-Turas al-‘Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon)

It is stated in Ghayah al-Surooji Sharah al-Hidayah:

ان بعض الامراض ینفعہ الصوم و البعض یضرہ ولیس کل الامراض تضر الصائم فلم یصلح نفس المرض ان یجعل ضابطا و السفر الطویل مظنۃ المشقۃ و الحرج فادیر الحکم علیہ۔۔ و فی الذخیرۃ :المرض الذی یبیح الفطر :ما یخاف منہ الموت او زیادۃ المرض و مثلہ فی مختصر ابی حسن الکرخی

(Ghayah al-Surooji Sharah al-Hidayah, Vol. 7, p. 414, Publ. Maktabah al-Imam al-Zahabi Lil-Nashr wal-Tawzee’)

Imam Ibn Hummam عليه الرحمة writes in Fath al-Qadeer:

أن قوله تعالى {فمن كان منكم مريضا أو على سفر فعدة من أيام أخر} يبيح الفطر لكل مريض، لكن القطع بأن شرعية الفطر له إنما هو لدفع الحرج، و تحقق الحرج منوط بزيادة المرض أو إبطاء البرء أو فساد عضو، ثم معرفة ذلك باجتهاد المريض، والاجتهاد غير مجرد الوهم، بل هو غلبة الظن عن أمارة أو تجربة أو بإخبار طبيب مسلم غير ظاهر الفسق

(Fath al-Qadeer, Vol. 2, p. 350, Publ. Dar al-Fikr, Beirut)

Our Master, A’la Hazrat, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رحمة اللہ تعالى عليه Fatawa Razawiyah:

جو شخص روزہ خود رکھ سکتا ہو اور ایسا مریض نہیں جس کے مرض کو روزہ مضر ہو، اس پر خود روزہ رکھنا فرض ہے اگرچہ تکلیف ہو۔

Translation: The one who can fast himself and he isn’t so ill that fasting will worsen his illness, it is fard upon him to fast himself, even if it is difficult. (Fatawa Razawiyah, Vol. 10, p. 521, Publ. Raza Foundation, Lahore)

Only the experience of the patient himself is considered. It isn’t permissible to skip fasting based on other’s experiences. Thus, Allamah Shami عليه الرحمة wrote:

(قوله أو تجربة) و لو كانت من غير المريض عند اتحاد المرض ط عن أبي السعود

(Radd al-Muhtar ‘Ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Vol. 2, p. 422, Publ. Dar al-Fikr)

The imam of Ahl-us-Sunnah رحمة اللہ تعالى عليه writes in Jadd al-Mumtar regarding this:

اقول:لم یعزہ لاحد و فی الاستناد الی اطلاق التجربۃ نظر،لان المتبادر من التجربۃ تجربۃ نفسہ ، ولا شک ان النفع و الضرر یختلف باختلاف الامزجۃ مع اتحاد المرض و کذا اختلاف البقاع و کذا اختلاف الموسم الی غیر ذالک من الخصوصیات

(Jadd al-Mumtar, Vol. 4, p. 273, Publ. Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyah, Beirut)

وَ اللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِہٖ وَ سَلَّم

Answered By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari

Ref No: HAB-0525

Date: 27^th Sha’ban al-Mu’azzam 1446 AH / 26^th February 2025