Do pregnant and breastfeeding women have to fast in Ramadan?

Why they are treated like the sick

The scholars place pregnancy and breastfeeding alongside illness and travel, because the concession in the Qur'an is tied to hardship, not to a fixed list of conditions. Allah says:

"So whoever among you is ill or on a journey — then an equal number of other days."— Qur'an 2:184

Shaykh Ibn Baz explains that the pregnant and breastfeeding woman is in exactly this position: if fasting is hard on her, she breaks it and makes up the days later, just as a sick person does. The Prophet ﷺ confirmed this concession directly:

"Allah has lifted from the traveller the fast and half the prayer, and from the pregnant and breastfeeding woman the fast."— Sunan al-Tirmidhi 715, from Anas ibn Malik al-Ka'bi

Shaykh Ibn Baz draws the conclusion from this narration: the Prophet ﷺ made them like the traveller, and the traveller breaks his fast and makes it up — so they break their fast and make it up.

When the permission applies

The concession is not automatic. It is tied to a real need, and the scholars set conditions:

• Hardship or fear of harm: fasting must genuinely be difficult, or she must fear harm to herself or her child. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen states plainly that if her body is strong and fasting harms neither the foetus nor the nursing child, it is not permissible for her to break the fast.
• How the fear is established: IslamWeb notes that this may be based on experience or the report of a doctor.
• If she can arrange alternatives: IslamWeb cites the Maliki scholar al-Mawwaq — if nursing is not harmful, or if the child accepts another wet-nurse and there is money to pay her, then she must fast and is not free to choose. The concession exists for need, not preference.

What she owes afterwards

The make-up fast is agreed upon. The disagreement is over whether food-expiation (fidyah) is also required.

The Hanbali position

The Hanbali books distinguish two cases. Ibn Muflih in al-Mubdi' and al-Bahuti in Kashshaf al-Qina' state that if she feared for herself, she makes up the days with no expiation — she is like a sick person. If she feared only for her child, she makes up the days and feeds a poor person for each day.

The position Ibn Baz preferred

Shaykh Ibn Baz held that make-up alone is required in both cases, with no expiation, and he called the expiation view weak. He reasoned that the pregnant and breastfeeding woman is simply like the sick person, and the sick person makes up the fast without feeding anyone. He did add one exception: if she delayed the make-up until another Ramadan came while she was able to fast, then she owes expiation for the delay along with the make-up.

The other schools

IslamWeb notes that the view combining make-up and expiation when the fear is for the child is reported from Ibn Umar and is the well-known position of the Shafi'i school. Imam Malik held the pregnant woman is like the sick person with no expiation, but required feeding for the breastfeeding woman. Ibn Abd al-Barr records that the difference between the pregnant and breastfeeding woman was considered the weightier view.

The view that she feeds the poor instead

A report from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar held that she feeds a poor person for each day and does not make up the fast, since pregnancy and nursing may continue without giving her a chance to make up. Shaykh Ibn Baz addressed this directly and rejected it: the authentic narration makes her like the traveller, and the traveller makes up his fast. He noted this is the stronger position in evidence and appears to be the view of most scholars.

In practice

1. Judge honestly whether fasting harms you or your child. If it does, break the fast.
2. Make up the missed days once you are able — after pregnancy, after nursing, or whenever your strength returns.
3. Do not delay past the next Ramadan if you are able to make them up. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen allowed spreading them out — a day on, a day off, or two days a week — according to your capacity, but not delaying beyond the following Ramadan.
4. If you do delay while able, Shaykh Ibn Baz held you owe feeding a poor person for each day along with the make-up.

Key takeaways

• A pregnant or breastfeeding woman may break her fast when fasting harms her or her child, and she makes up the missed days.
• If fasting causes her no hardship, she must fast — the concession is for need, not convenience.
• The make-up fast is agreed upon; the dispute concerns whether feeding the poor is also required.
• Shaykh Ibn Baz and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen held that make-up alone suffices, with no expiation.
• The Hanbali and Shafi'i schools require feeding a poor person in addition when the fear was for the child only.

Further reading

• al-Mubdi' fi Sharh al-Muqni', Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali
• Kashshaf al-Qina', al-Bahuti
• al-Istidhkar, Ibn Abd al-Barr

And Allah knows best.