An intelligent person who has reached the age of puberty, whether male or female, is obligated to fast during the month of Ramadan.
However, due to certain special circumstances where fasting is impossible, excessively difficult, hard, or harmful, one may be exempt from fasting and not observe this rule.
The special circumstances that make it permissible not to fast are as follows:
ILLNESS:
Those who are so ill during the month of Ramadan that they cannot fast, or those who are concerned that fasting will worsen their illness, postpone fasting. In this case, the determinations of medical professionals are considered, not personal concerns. After they recover, they make up for the missed fasts.
TRAVEL:
If a person is traveling during the days of Ramadan, they may choose not to fast. If someone sets out on a journey after the break of dawn, that is, after beginning the fast, they do not break their fast and continue fasting for that day. However, if they were to break their fast, they would only need to make up for it, not offer any expiation.
PREGNANCY:
Pregnant women do not fast if they are concerned about the development of the unborn child. They make up for the missed fasts later. Pregnancy is considered as an illness in this regard.
BREASTFEEDING:
Women who are breastfeeding, like pregnant women, do not fast if they are concerned that the nursing child may be deprived of milk. They make up for the missed fasts later.
OLD AGE:
Those who are too old to fast and can no longer fast do not fast. They give a fidya (compensation) for each day they do not fast, an amount equivalent to the value of feeding a poor person.
EXTREME HUNGER AND THIRST:
If fasting would pose a health risk due to extreme hunger or thirst, a person may postpone fasting to a later time. The potential harm in this regard is determined by experience or the statement of a specialist doctor.
WORKING IN VERY HARD LABOR:
Someone who works in very hard labor may postpone fasting if fasting would harm their health.
TEMPORARY LOSS OF SANITY, FAINTING:
Someone who temporarily loses their sanity or spends the entire month of Ramadan unconscious or without their mental faculties is not obligated to fast. This is because such a person is considered not to have reached the month of Ramadan in a legal sense. However, if they recover on some days of Ramadan, they fast on those days and make up for the days they did not fast after Ramadan.
