When Illness Changes Your Fasting Obligations

You alone.

[Silence]

Alhamdulillah.

[Silence]

Continuing in the book of fasting and this chapter now that we are going to delve into is regarding ing two types of people that were not explicitly mentioned in the Quran but they fall under the generalization of the allowance given in the Quran. Now, in order for us to understand the rulings of Islam, we have to understand something and that is that the rulings of Islam are not arbitrary. They're not random. They're not just general things that are mentioned that don't fall into a specific pattern. All of the laws of Islam, all of the rulings of Islam, they are all built on a common foundation and all of the subsequent rulings will be branching off of that of that common foundation. This is how all of the rulings are structured. So whenever we want to research something, we want to learn something, we want to learn a ruling, we first start with the foundations of that particular thing. Then we go off into the branches because without understanding the foundation, we will not be able to see the patterns that the scholars of Islam see. And this is what they base their rulings on. This is where the rulings of the Quran and Sunnah come from. They are all branching off of a similar foundation. When it comes to the rulings of fasting, we if we look at the way that the author here has built his arguments, if we look at the way that the author has structured the book of fasting, we see that first we began with upon whom is fasting obligated, right? So we take that that criteria Then after that we look at who is exempted from that obligation and if they are exempted why are they exempted. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions two exemptions in the Quran from fasting. He says, "Subhan," he says, "And if you all are ill or traveling, then you are to make the days missed during Ramadan up from the remainder of the year from other days." So we have two allowances here, two exemptions, travel and illness. But we notice that illness is a general term that has other things that would be in a person's life that aren't necessarily illness per se. They may be natural. They may be perfectly healthy but they present the same circumstances as illness. If we understand this, we'll understand the following chapters, the following research that we will go into now. So for instance if we have illness we can say generally speaking with respect to the duration of illness the duration there are two types of illness. Number one, there is temporary illness, momentary illness. And number two, there is permanent or there is what we could say illness that is around and does not have a foreseeable cure. The scholars refer to these two types of illness as meaning temporary. Musmin meaning that it is indefinite. It's chronic. It is long- winded illness. There's no the the prognosis is very long with this illness. Okay. Now, what is the ruling for a person who is ill with a temporary illness or an illness that has a an average def definite time, right? We would say that that person is as Allah instructed, they will just make those days up when they're better, right? Now what about if a person has musmin if they have something chronic, something that is indefinite, something that is very lengthy illness that could stretch years or an illness which cannot be or is not expected for a person to be cured of. Then what what do we do with this illness? What is this person's obligation? This person's obligation is as Allah stipulates in the Quran. Then notice the wording here. that the person is going to pay the expeation, the fya. And the fya is one average meal for a po poor person to feed one poor person a full meal. One full meal. Okay. Now when we look at those two things we say okay what is the reason that this and this are different? Well, the reason obviously is the duration, right? One has a definite duration, an approximate duration, whether it's a month or two or five, it's within a year, and the other does not. The other is chronic. The other is indefinite. The other is not expected to ever resolve itself. And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made it that the person who is expecting to be cured or well enough to fast that they are merely to fast a day in its place and a person who is not expecting to be cured that this person is to feed one poor person a full meal. Now when we look at other circumstances a person may have in his life that would present themselves, they may not be illness per se, but they run in the same vein as illness, right? for instance, we mentioned ministration. A woman cannot fast when she is on her menstrual cycle. This is not illness. As a matter of fact, this is the image of health. However, it runs in the same vein as illness. Therefore, it takes the same ruling. But which type of those two rulings does it take? Does it take the ruling of the temporary illness or the permanent illness? Temporary was only a week or two or a month at most, right? whatever it is. So it is temporary. It's within a year. Therefore, if circumstances present themselves that are similar to these two, they're not it's not an illness, but it runs in the same vein. Then we are going to look at the duration. Is it going to be temporary to where it is more similar to temporary illness? Therefore, they are to have the recourse of the temporarily ill or is it more similar to permanent illness, chronic illness to which a person will take the recourse of the chronically ill. So when it comes to menration or postpartum, we say temporary. So what does a woman on her postpartum or menstrual cycle do? She merely makes up the days that she misses. This is what the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam commanded. Now let's say another issue comes up that presents itself for a woman such as breastfeeding. Breastfeeding. How long is breastfeeding mentioned in the Quran to be two years? This is two full years. We said if it goes beyond a year, it is now falling into the realm of chronic. Now breastfeeding is not an illness but it presents the same set of circumstances that illness does. Therefore it gives the same allowance that illness does. And so a person may say well what is the recourse for a woman who is breastfeeding? We say well we have to look at the situation. Is she going to be breastfeeding for two years? Is she only breastfeeding for five months? Is she going to be done breastfeeding within a year to where she can make those days up or is it going to go beyond a year? If the answer is it's going to go beyond a year, then which type of illness recourse do we take here? Musman, the the the permanent, the chronic. So her experation is what? to feed one poor person for every day that she misses. However, let's say that it is less than a year. Then her recourse is what? Her recourse is to make up those days. Let's say that she is pregnant. Pregnancy is only going to be how long at most? N months. beyond that something's going on, right? So 9 months if we added in the worst case scenario the postpartum in there of 40 days, we still have time to make up the days missed of Ramadan or not. Yes. So which recourse would she take? The temporary. But now let's say she is going to give birth and then she's going to breastfeed. Well then now what does she do? Well now she follows the recourse of the chronic illness. It's not illness but it runs in the same vein because it presents the same set of circumstances. This is the fatwa of Abu Jabbd Omar and others of the companions. There's no set recourse for a woman who is breastfeeding or a woman who is pregnant because it depends on the circumstances. if it will resolve itself. If we say if she is able to make up the days that she misses before the next Ramadan, then she makes the days up. If not, then she is to what? Pay the fya or to feed the poor person. But you let's say a woman gets into a situation where she is where she is giving birth and then breastfeeding and then giving birth and then breastfeeding and then giving birth and then breastfeeding. How long is the longest type of punishment or expeation of fasting? The longest the most a person would ever ever ever fast in the legislation of Islam. 83 days. That's a very specific number. How long is the huh? 60 for what? For instance, right? Accidental or what we would call in in Western law manslaughter, right? Or accidentally killing a Muslim. The most a person would fast is how long? 60 days. There's even taking a life isn't beyond 60 days. So a woman comes and says, "I have 10 Ramadans to make up." We say, "Go ahead and fast for 10 months." This is not an act of worship anymore. This now is punishment, right? This this takes it out of the spirit of what fasting is legislated for. Remember the basis of all of the rulings of fasting all go back to one main ruling and that is Allah desires ease for you and he does not desire difficulty. So anything that takes us into the realm of difficulty, we know it is not part of the essential legislation of fasting. Correct? Because Allah mentions in the Quran the rulings of fasting and then he anchors it all in this statement. Allah desires ease for you. Does not desire difficulty for you. Right? So when we have a situation where a woman now needs to have a three, four, five, six, seven, eight, 10 years of Ramadan to make up. No, that's why we say anything beyond one year. This now goes into the realm of difficulty. Is it not? So is there any situation where a person is commanded to fast more than 30 days per year obligatory? The pillars of Islam are 30 days at the most a person would ever fast a year. Anything beyond that we know that it is what it is incorrect. So therefore when the companions they understood this balance they understood the circumstances. Therefore when it comes to a woman who is breastfeeding or a woman who is pregnant they have the same ruling. Both have an allowance to break their fast. Even if fasting is easy for them, even if it's not difficult, even if they are not finding it, they're not fearing for their children, they can break their fast just a person traveling and just a person who was ill. They have an allowance. Doesn't matter if it's hard or easy. That's not the determining factor here. And so the same goes for a woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding as we will hear inshallah in the evidences that the author cites. Therefore she may break her fast. When she breaks her fast what now is the obligation upon her? It is depending on how much of the fasting she's going to miss. The men have to pay more attention to this class than any woman does. Why? Because who is responsible for your women? Huh? We are. You know, when our women fall short, you know who's held accountable for that? We are. Our women now, right now, are expected to be men and women at the same time. You know why? Cuz we dropped the ball. That's why, right? That's on us. And so when a man's wife or daughter or sister or mother makes a mistake, the male, her guardian will always have will always have a part to play in that. Always. Even if it is your slave girl, she still has those rights upon you. Because a woman is not a man. A woman if if if a man if if the human being in general is weak, if a man is weak, how much more so will this be for the female? And this is why the man, the male masculinity, it is an additional portion over femininity as Allah tells us in the Quran. And this is why when a person receives the blessing of a son, he slaughters how much how many you know how many for a son? Two. And for a daughter, one. Is that because he's not grateful for his daughter? No, he's grateful. He slaughtered one. But a son is more useful. He has an additional portion of thanks to be given. However, that additional blessing comes with responsibility. Responsibility. It's not just responsibility which is mentioned to us in the western culture. Now, the man is the guy that just carries the groceries and yes, darling, and takes out the trash and makes the money and you know that's that's his job, right? Otherwise, just be quiet. That's that's not what a man is. That's a very topical superficial view of what a man is. A man is much more than that. is a leader, a protector, a an authority, right? Authority comes with responsibility. And so the point here is that a lot of times when I discuss, you know, in my experience in teaching rulings on fasting or ministration or, you know, I've taught this book for 20 years probably and when we get to the chapters on menration, the chapters on postpartum, the chapters on pregnancy, the chapters on I see the students eyes glaze over what does does this have to do with me? Oh, it has a lot to do with you. Right? Because weakness in our women is a reflection of our weakness and strength in women is a reflection of our strength. when in the time of the companions if a man would run from battle and make his way back to Medina, right? He ran away, snuck back into town. The women in town would stone him out of the town. What are you doing here? They would stone him out of the town. It's better for him to be on the battlefield than to go home in shame. Where did that strength come from? It came from the companions. They didn't raise their sons and their men to be my whole life is just my wife and that's the that's all I want in my life and nothing else. I was only created to just, you know, rub my wife's feet and and and that's the that's the ceiling of my ambition. Nor were the daughters of the companions raised to see that in a man. That was viewed as weakness. I came back to be with you. I couldn't be away from you too long. Right? I ran away from battle because I couldn't stay away from you another day. That is not a man. Suhammed. Shame.