Allah (glory be to Him) pointed out in the Qur’an that He has made fasting obligatory on the followers of other religions before Islam and on Muslims so that they fear Him and be dutiful to Him. He the Almighty said, “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, just as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may have piety.” During fasting a Muslim is to abstain from taking food and beverages from the break of dawn till sunset. There are great wisdoms behind fasting; on top of them is showing submission to Allah even if it is contrary to one’s desires.
One of the conditions of fasting is to have the capability to fast. If a person is unable to abstain from food and drink during the daytime out of some illnesses or anything else, he or she is allowed not to fast. Allah said in the Qur’an, “Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you.“
Regarding this issue, Dr. Rajab Abu Mleeh, stated that With regard to avoiding fasting due to incapability, the scholars have stated some of the following things to be considered before one decides not to fast:
i. Consultation of a reliable doctor who decides that fasting is harmful to a person at a .
ii. Learning through experience that one cannot really fast in that particular situation.
Therefore, we advise anyone who finds himself weak and having the feeling of inability to fast to use the aforementioned two points by scholars as yardsticks in determining whether he will fast or not.
Finally, Muslims should know that not all the problems a person goes through while fasting will cause him or her to stop fast. Instead, the problem or condition that will warrant that must be unbearable or harmful.
Moreover, feeling hunger and thirst while fasting is equally intended in the sense that those who are rich feel the sufferings of the poor and perhaps have sympathy for them and show kindness to them. In addition, abstention from food also has good effect on human soul as it purifies it.