What if I can never fast because of a chronic illness?
Question · One of the most asked questions about Ramadan
I have kidney disease and my specialist has told me I should not fast at all, now or in the future. What am I supposed to do instead of fasting in Ramadan?
Short answer
If a long-term illness means you can never fast, you are excused and give fidya instead. You feed one poor person for each day missed and do not make the days up.
Detailed answer
If you have a long-term illness and doctors expect that you will not be able to fast, now or later, you are excused from fasting. You do not need to make up the days. Instead, you give fidya: feeding one poor person for each day of Ramadan you miss. This is the view of most scholars.
What the Quran says
Allah says: "And for those who can fast only with great difficulty, a ransom: feeding a poor person" (Al-Baqarah 2:184). Al-Bukhari reports that Ibn Abbas explained this part of the verse as applying to the elderly man and woman who cannot fast, who feed a poor person for each day. Scholars apply the same ruling to anyone with a lasting illness that prevents fasting, because their situation is the same.
Who counts as unable to fast?
- People whose illness is long-term and not expected to improve, such as some forms of kidney or heart disease.
- People who must eat, drink or take medicine by mouth during the day on a permanent basis.
- People whose doctor, ideally one who understands fasting, has advised that fasting would cause them real harm.
If there is a real chance you will recover, you are treated as temporarily ill instead: you wait and make up the days later. See fasting when sick.
How to give fidya
- Feed one poor person for each day missed, or give them the equivalent in staple food. Many mosques and charities set a cash amount each year.
- You can give it day by day, or for the whole month at once.
- More details are in what fidya is and how much it is.
Many scholars say that if you truly cannot afford fidya, you are not burdened with it, because Allah does not ask a soul for more than it can bear.
You are still part of Ramadan
Your Ramadan still counts. You can pray, make dua, read or listen to the Quran, give charity and share iftar with others. Allah knows your intention, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught that when a person falls ill, the reward of the good deeds they used to do while healthy is still written for them (Bukhari).
These answers give the general ruling based on the Quran, the Sunnah and the mainstream view of scholars. For a personal situation, ask a qualified scholar you trust.
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