Islam, as a divine religion, pays great attention to the importance of conviction for those who embrace it. Therefore, it lays down the principle that there is no compulsion in religion. In the same vein, it doesn’t accept conversion for other objectives such as marriage. Concerning the legal excuses that allow one not to observe the fast of Ramadan, Allah the Exalted says: (And whoever of you is sick or on a journey, (let him fast the same) number of other days; He desireth not hardship for you) (Al-Baqarah 2:185). Sickness (referred to in this verse) that is considered a legal excuse for not observing the fast of Ramadan is that which occurs, becomes urgent, or is aggravated as a result of fasting.
As for students, they are not obliged to study during the daytime; they can strike a balance between their assignments and the available time. They may study their lessons at night. They are not allowed to break the fast days of Ramadan for the sole reason that they prefer studying during the daytime.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states: Fasting is an obligatory duty on every male or female who is healthy. Only the following are exempt from fasting: the sick, the elderly, those who are traveling, women in menstruation or undergoing the postpartum period of bleeding; women who are pregnant or nursing their infants. If your wife is included in any of these categories she is definitely excused from fasting, but she must make up for the missed fasts later unless of course she is terminally ill or in advanced age. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clearly warned us against deliberately skipping fast: “Whoever skips a single day of Ramadan without valid reason or sickness, he [or she] will not be able to make up for it by fasting a whole year” (Al-Bukhari).
The fact that a person is studying is not a valid excuse for skipping fast unless he or she is suffering from health complications. Students throughout the ages have been studying while fasting without any problem. Study alone cannot be used as an excuse for skipping fast.
