She cannot fast unless she takes medicine

Question

Praise be to Allah.

If fasting is too difficult
for her then it is permissible for her not to fast, and she does not have to
take medicine in order to be able to fast.

If a trustworthy doctor has
told her that there is the hope of recovery from her sickness, then she must
make up the days that she did not fast, and feeding the poor will not be
acceptable if she is able to make up those days.

But if the doctor told her
that there is no hope that her situation will change, and that fasting will
always lead to severe migraines for her, then she may not fast and she
should pay the fidyah for the days when she did not fast.

She has to try to work out
the number of days that she did not fast since she reached puberty, and pay
the fidyah for them.

The evidence regarding it
being permissible for a sick person not to fast is the verse in which Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So whoever of you
sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is
present at his home), he must observe Sawm (fasts) that month, and whoever
is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe
Sawm (fasts) must be made up] from other days. Allaah intends for you ease,
and He does not want to make things difficult for you”

[al-Baqarah 2:185]

This verse applies to the
sick person who is able to make up the fasts later on.

But if there is no hope of
recovery from the sickness – according to the doctors – then he may not fast
and he should feed one poor person for each day, giving half a saa’ of rice
and the like (i.e., approximately one and a half kilos). In this case he is
like an elderly man who is not able to fast, concerning whom Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “And as for those who can fast with
difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to
feed a Miskeen (poor person) (for every day)” [al-Baqarah 2:184].

Al-Bukhaari (4505) narrated
that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: This applies to the
old man and old woman who cannot fast; they should feed one poor person for
each day.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: al-Shaafa’i and his companions said: The old man for
whom fasting is too difficult, and the sick person for whom there is no hope
of recovery, are not required to fast, and there is no difference of
scholarly opinion concerning that. We shall see below that Ibn al-Mundhir
narrated that there was consensus on this point. But they have to pay the
fidyah according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions. End
quote from al-Majmoo’ (6/261).

We ask Allaah to heal her
and make her well.

And Allaah knows best.