Muslims must bear in mind the fact that fasting is one of the basic pillars of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Islam is built upon five pillars: To testify that that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing the five daily Prayer, paying the zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting the month of Ramadan” (Al-Bukhari).’
Fasting during the month of Ramadan is obligatory upon every Muslim, male or female, who has the following qualifications:
1. To be mentally and physically fit, which means to be sane and bodily able.
2. To be of full age, the age of puberty and discretion, which is normally about fourteen.
3. To be resident, not to be travelling (on a journey of about 50 miles or more).
4. In case of women, to be free from menses (haidha) and post-birth bleeding (nifas).
Having stated the above, Muslims falling in the above categories are not allowed to skip fasting during Ramadan except for a religiously acceptable reason.
In his response to this issue, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar stated,
Fasting is the third foremost pillar of Islam; it is a mandatory duty on every adult Muslim who is not sick or traveling, or, in the case of women, menstruating or undergoing post-natal period of bleeding.
The period of fasting is also fixed and cannot be altered. If one is not able to fast for reasons mentioned above, they must do so later when conditions change.
It is not allowed to skip fasting because of playing for a hobby. If, however, it is a career that one is pursuing, then he should do everything possible to postpone practice during Ramadan. Muslims are not allowed to change the fasting month for another month. If, however, it is a question of skipping a few days, and he has no choice over it, then, according to some scholars, he is allowed to skip them, and fast later.