People who are exempt from fasting in Ramadan include children before puberty, people who have lost their mental capacity, the sick, travellers, the elderly who cannot fast, pregnant and breastfeeding women who fear harm, and women during menstruation or bleeding after childbirth. Allah made fasting a duty for every sane adult Muslim who is able to fast. He also made clear allowances for anyone for whom fasting would cause real harm or hardship.
Being exempt does not always mean you owe nothing. Most people make up the missed days later, which is called Qada. Those who can never make them up pay Fidya, which feeds a person in need for each missed fast. If a fast was broken on purpose without a valid reason, Kaffarah may be due. This guide explains each group and what they owe.
Allah exempts two broad groups: those who are not yet obliged to fast, and those for whom fasting would cause harm or hardship.
The main evidence comes in the ayat of fasting:
“So whoever among you is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of other days. And upon those who are able to fast only with hardship, a ransom of feeding a poor person.” (Al-Baqarah 2:184)
Allah then gives the reason: “Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship” (Al-Baqarah 2:185). These exemptions are a mercy. Allah also says, “Allah does not charge a soul except with that within its capacity” (Al-Baqarah 2:286).
The Prophet ﷺ described three people for whom there is no obligation at all: “The pen has been lifted from three: the sleeper until he wakes, the child until he reaches puberty, and the insane until he regains his reason” (Sunan Abi Dawud 4403, graded Sahih by al-Albani).
Yes. A person who is ill may leave the fast if fasting would make the illness worse, delay recovery, or cause serious difficulty.
If you have a fever, an infection, or you are recovering from surgery, you can break your fast. Once you are well, you make up each missed day before the next Ramadan. This is the clear instruction of Al-Baqarah 2:184: “an equal number of other days.”
Some conditions mean a person may never be able to fast safely. In these cases, a person pays Fidya for each missed day instead of making it up.
Speak to your GP before Ramadan, as well as a trusted scholar. The British Islamic Medical Association publishes Ramadan guidance for patients in the UK each year.
No. A traveller may choose to fast or not, and then makes up any missed days later.
Hamzah ibn Amr al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet ﷺ about fasting on a journey. He replied, “Fast if you wish, and do not fast if you wish” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1943). Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that on journeys with the Prophet ﷺ, those fasting did not criticise those who were not, and those not fasting did not criticise those who were (Sahih al-Bukhari 1947).
Most scholars set the travel distance at about 48 miles (77 km).
Yes. A woman must not fast during her period or while bleeding after childbirth, and she makes up those days later.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “We were commanded to make up the fasts, but we were not commanded to make up the prayers” (Sahih Muslim 335). She loses nothing by it. She can still earn reward in Ramadan through dhikr, dua and charity.
A pregnant or breastfeeding woman may leave the fast if she fears harm to herself or her baby.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah has relieved the traveller of fasting and half the prayer, and relieved the pregnant and breastfeeding woman of fasting” (Jami at-Tirmidhi 715, graded Hasan by at-Tirmidhi).
Scholars differ on what she owes afterwards. Most say she makes up the days when she is able. Some also require Fidya when she only feared for her baby. If she will not be able to make up the days for a long time, ask a scholar about your own case.
Yes. An elderly person who is too weak to fast, and will not become stronger, does not fast and pays Fidya instead.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) explained that the ayah of Fidya applies to the old man and the old woman who cannot fast. They feed one poor person for each day (Sahih al-Bukhari 4505).
If an elderly person has lost their mental capacity, for example through advanced dementia, fasting no longer applies to them. Many scholars say no Fidya is due in that case.
Fasting becomes a duty when a child reaches puberty. Before that, it is not required, but parents are encouraged to build the habit gently.
Rubayyi bint Muawwidh (may Allah be pleased with her) described how the Companions trained their young children. “We used to make our children fast, and we would make toys of wool for them. If one of them cried for food, we would give him the toy until it was time to break the fast” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1960).
A person who has lost their reason is not required to fast, as the hadith of the pen being lifted shows.
Other mental health conditions are treated like any illness. If fasting would make a condition worse, or if medicine must be taken during the day, the person may leave the fast. They make it up later if they can, or pay Fidya if the condition is long term.
What you owe depends on why you missed the fast and whether you can make it up.
| Situation | What Is Due | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Short illness, travel, menstruation, bleeding after childbirth | Qada | Fast one day for each day missed, before next Ramadan |
| Long term illness or old age, with no hope of fasting | Fidya | Feed one person in need for each missed fast |
| Pregnancy or breastfeeding | Qada, and Fidya in some schools | Make up the days; ask a scholar about Fidya |
| Fast broken on purpose without a valid reason | Qada and Kaffarah | Fast 60 days in a row or, if unable, feed 60 people |
Kaffarah comes from the hadith of the man who broke his fast in Ramadan through intimacy with his wife. The Prophet ﷺ told him to free a slave, and if he could not, to fast two months in a row, and if he could not, to feed sixty poor people (Sahih al-Bukhari 1936). The schools differ on whether deliberate eating or drinking also needs Kaffarah, so ask a scholar.
At Human Concern UK, Fidya is currently £5 for each missed fast, or £150 for all 30 days. Kaffarah, which feeds sixty people, is £300 to £360. Please check our Fidya and Kaffarah page for the latest rate.
Your Fidya and Kaffarah provide meals to people in need, including orphans, widows, elderly people and low income families. It is the same care that has guided our work since 1980. Give your Fidya online today. Paying Zakat too? Use our Zakat Calculator, or support our Zero Hunger programme.
No, not if you are able to fast later. Fidya is only for those who cannot make up the days, such as the elderly or the chronically ill.
You still need to make them up. Some scholars also require Fidya for each day that was delayed without a valid reason.
Ordinary tiredness or a mild headache does not. If the pain is severe, or fasting could harm you, you may break the fast and make it up later.
Some people with diabetes can fast safely with medical advice, while others are at high risk and should not. Speak to your GP before Ramadan. If you can never fast safely, pay Fidya.
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