Can I have surgery or anaesthesia in Ramadan?
Question · One of the most asked questions about Ramadan
I'm on the waiting list for a knee operation and the hospital has offered me a date during Ramadan. Should I accept it, and what happens to my fast if I have a general anaesthetic?
Short answer
Yes, you can have surgery in Ramadan; on days you are unwell or need a drip, you are excused from fasting and make them up later. Local anaesthetic does not break the fast.
Detailed answer
Yes. There is nothing wrong with having surgery during Ramadan. If you are unwell, need a drip or must take medicine by mouth, you are excused from fasting on those days and make them up later. Your health comes first, and you should never delay a necessary operation just to keep a fast.
What the Quran says
Allah says: "whoever among you is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of other days" (Al-Baqarah 2:184). Someone preparing for or recovering from surgery is clearly among the sick, and may use this permission without guilt.
Types of anaesthesia
- Local anaesthetic (an injection to numb one area) does not break the fast, because it is not food or drink.
- General anaesthetic: the gases themselves are not food or drink. However, an operation usually comes with an IV drip of fluids, which breaks the fast according to most contemporary scholars; see IV drips. Also, if you are unconscious for the whole time from dawn to sunset, most scholars hold that the fast of that day is not valid. In practice, most people do not fast on the day of a major operation and make it up later.
- Sedation or spinal anaesthesia without a drip may not affect the fast, but you are still excused if you feel unwell.
Planned or urgent?
- Urgent surgery: go ahead. Do not wait for Ramadan to end.
- Planned surgery: you can accept a date in Ramadan, or ask whether it can be moved, whichever is better for your health and recovery. Talk it through with your surgeon, ideally a doctor who understands fasting.
Before and after the operation
- Follow the hospital's instructions about not eating or drinking before surgery. These are medical rules, separate from your fast.
- Take all the medicines you are prescribed, including painkillers and antibiotics, on time. Never skip them to fast.
- Return to fasting only when you feel well enough and your doctor agrees.
Making up the days
Keep a note of the days you did not fast and make them up after Ramadan, before the next one; see how to make up missed fasts.
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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