Issue 848: Fasting is not obligatory for a person who is not able to fast due to aging or for whom there is harm and hardship in fasting; however, in the latter case, they must give 750 grams of food-stuff such as wheat, barely etc. to the poor for each fast.

Issue 849: If a person, who has not kept the fasts of Ramadhan due to aging, becomes able to fast after the Ramadhan, it will not be obligatory for them to observe the Quadha of those fasts.

Issue 850: Fasting is not obligatory for a pregnant woman in advanced stages of pregnancy, for whom or for whose fetus fasting is harmful; however, if fasting is harmful to her fetus but not for her, she must give 750 grams of food-stuff such as wheat, barely and the like to the poor for each day, and in both cases, she must observe the Quadha.

Issue 851: If a woman suckles a baby and her quantity of breast milk is small, whether she is the mother of that baby, a nurse, or one who suckles the baby for no charge, and if fasting is harmful to her or to the baby, it will not be obligatory for her to fast; but if it is only harmful to the baby, she must give 750 grams of food-stuff such as wheat, barely and the like to the poor for each day and in both cases, she must observe the Quadha fasts; however, if there is a woman
who agrees to suckle the baby for payment by the parents or anyone else, or if she agrees to suckle the baby for no charge, as an obligatory precaution, the mother should give the baby to her and observe her fasts.

Q852: What must an old woman do if she has not observed her obligatory fasts due to old age, illness, weakness and owing to the advice of the physicians, and to whom fasting will be harmful hereafter? Will she have to make any atonement?

A: It is not obligatory for the elderly to observe their fasts if they are not able to fast or if it is harmful and causes any hardship to them, and they are not physically able to fast; they are not obliged to make any atonement either.

Q853: Is it obligatory for a woman who has broken her fasts of Ramadhan due to pregnancy or suckling, and then kept the Quadha of those fasts, to make any atonement?

A: If the fasts were only harmful to the baby, they must give 750 grams of food-stuff to the poor for each day, and if they do not keep the Quadha fasts until the next Ramadhan, they will have to give twice as much of food-stuff to the poor for each day.