A packed suitcase and a folded prayer mat beside a sunlit window with a small bowl of dates.

Ramadan fasting when travelling, ill or pregnant: four schools

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Quick answer. The four schools agree that a traveller may break the fast, and they agree that menstruating and postpartum women do not fast and make the days up later. They differ on distances, on the length of stay that ends travel status, and on whether some mothers also owe fidya (feeding a poor person for each missed day). Ramadan is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027 by the Umm al-Qura calendar, which is 96 days from 4 November 2026. Readers with a personal situation should ask a qualified local scholar.

When Ramadan is expected to start

The Umm al-Qura date is a calculated, expected one. If the crescent is sighted or accepted on the evening of 7 February the first fast is Monday 8 February; if Sha’ban completes 30 days, it is Tuesday 9 February. Many communities in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Europe follow their own mosque or council announcement, so a one-day difference between neighbouring towns is possible.

Check the Ramadan dates page closer to the month, and use the Ramadan timetables for local fasting times. Your mosque’s announcement at the end of Sha’ban is the one to follow.

Two terms: qada and fidya

Human Concern, a UK-based charity, explains that qada means making up a missed fast with another fast, while fidya means feeding a person in need in place of a fast that can never be kept. Scholars usually link qada to a temporary excuse and fidya to a lasting one.

Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta measures the fidya as one mudd (a traditional measure of grain) of the local staple food per day. It adds that paying the money equivalent is permissible, and preferable because it meets the needs of the poor better. Other bodies may handle the form of payment differently, so check with your own scholar or mosque.

The Quran lays down the basic concession for the sick and the traveller. The passage below also states the aim of ease, which scholars cite across all these cases.

أَيَّامًۭا مَّعْدُودَٰتٍۢ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍۢ فَعِدَّةٌۭ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۚ وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُۥ فِدْيَةٌۭ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍۢ ۖ فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًۭا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّهُۥ ۚ وَأَن تَصُومُوا۟ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿184﴾ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًۭى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍۢ فَعِدَّةٌۭ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿185﴾

[184] [Fasting for] a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] – then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess – it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew. [185] The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.

Fasting while travelling

The Quran names the journey as a reason to postpone the fast. In the schools’ reckoning, a fast missed while travelling is made up later. For a journey that is easy, the schools split into two groups. Fasting is better in the view of the majority: the Hanafis, Malikis and Shafi’is. The Hanbalis hold that not fasting is better.

If fasting is hard enough that breaking would be easier, all four schools consider breaking the more virtuous choice. Sahih al-Bukhari records the report behind this, in which Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) describes the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ passing a man who was being shaded by a crowd because he was fasting on a journey.

مَا هَذَا ". فَقَالُوا صَائِمٌ. فَقَالَ " لَيْسَ مِنَ الْبِرِّ الصَّوْمُ فِي السَّفَرِ

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was on a journey and saw a crowd of people, and a man was being shaded (by them). He asked, "What is the matter?" They said, "He (the man) is fasting." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "It is not righteousness that you fast on a journey

Scholars read that report as addressing hardship. A separate report from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 1947 and Sahih Muslim 1118, says the Companions travelled with the Prophet ﷺ and neither the fasting nor the non-fasting party criticised the other.

The four schools on travel, side by side

School Distance that counts as travel Stay that ends traveller status Fast or break if the journey is easy Day begun at home
Hanafi A journey of about three days at a moderate pre-modern pace, which a Hanafi fatwa service renders as 78 km (48 miles) or more An intended stay of 15 days Fasting is better if the journey is not demanding Complete that day’s fast
Maliki Four burud (see note below) More than about 4 days Fasting is better Complete that day’s fast
Shafi’i Four burud (see note below) About 4 days Fasting is better Complete that day’s fast
Hanbali Four burud (see note below) About 4 days Breaking is better May break once outside the built-up limits of the town

A burid is a classical postal stage, and four burud are about 48 miles or 77 km, measured from the edge of your town rather than your front door. Converting the classical unit gives slightly different totals: the Jordanian Iftaa’ Department gives 80.64 km, adopted by most modern scholars, and a SeekersGuidance Shafi’i answer says not less than 82 km. That is why you will see figures between 77 and 82 km on different pages.

The stay limits are the same for the three non-Hanafi schools. Human Appeal reports that they count roughly four days, excluding the days of arrival and departure. A conference week of 5 days, for example, sits inside the Hanafi limit but outside the other three.

Starting the day at home, then leaving

A Hanafi answer on SeekersGuidance says the traveller must be in the state of travel when Fajr enters to be excused. The same source says the Hanbali school is the exception: a person who has begun a fast and then leaves the city limits may break it, whether this is before or after Fajr. Human Appeal adds that both positions are held by recognised scholars and the practical difference is a single day, which would then be made up.

The same logic applies to breaking the fast at home just before leaving. Zakat.org reports that the majority regard this as impermissible, because the permission comes from being in a state of travel.

Travel between places with different Ramadan starts can change the count. A Hanafi fatwa from Daru l-Ifta Birmingham says the traveller follows the destination’s calendar, and if Eid arrives a day early there, the 29th fast is kept on another day. If the destination fasts 30 days, the traveller completes 31 fasts.

Fasting while sick, and fidya for lasting illness

The schools tie the concession to real harm. A sick person is exempt when the fast would worsen the illness, slow recovery or cause real hardship. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta states that harm is determined by medical specialists, and that where it is established, refraining from the fast becomes obligatory. Ordinary tiredness is treated differently, since one who is well but feels the difficulty of fasting has not reached the level of a sufficient excuse.

The Dar al-Ifta fatwa then separates two cases. If the illness is not chronic, the person makes up the missed days once health is restored. If the illness is chronic, such as certain conditions of old age, the person does not make up the days but gives fidya for each day missed, depending on financial ability. A person who is poor, or whose income barely covers their dependants, pays nothing. If such a person later regains the ability to fast, Dar al-Ifta says they are not required to make up the days.

The elderly who cannot fast are in the second group. Sahih al-Bukhari preserves a statement of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) on the verse about those who find fasting a burden.

حَدَّثَنِي إِسْحَاقُ، أَخْبَرَنَا رَوْحٌ، حَدَّثَنَا زَكَرِيَّاءُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، سَمِعَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، يَقْرَأُ ‏{‏وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطَوَّقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ ‏}‏‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ لَيْسَتْ بِمَنْسُوخَةٍ، هُوَ الشَّيْخُ الْكَبِيرُ وَالْمَرْأَةُ الْكَبِيرَةُ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعَانِ أَنْ يَصُومَا، فَلْيُطْعِمَانِ مَكَانَ كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِسْكِينًا‏.‏

Narrated 'Ata:That he heard Ibn `Abbas reciting the Divine Verse:– "And for those who can fast they had a choice to either fast, or feed a poor for every day.." (2.184) Ibn `Abbas said, "This Verse is not abrogated, but it is meant for old men and old women who have no strength to fast, so they should feed one poor person for each day of fasting (instead of fasting)

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Writing on the four schools, Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya says that if a pregnant or nursing woman fears harm to her own health or her child’s, she may refrain from fasting, and all four schools hold that she makes up the days later. The disagreement is about fidya.

School Fear for herself Fear for the child only
Hanafi Qada only Qada only, with no fidya
Maliki Qada only Sources differ (see below)
Shafi’i Qada Qada and fidya
Hanbali Qada Qada and fidya

Summaries of the Maliki position disagree. Human Appeal says the Maliki school prescribes qada only. Human Concern lists qada only for a pregnant woman and qada with fidya for a nursing mother, and the Muslim Women’s Association of Australia groups the Maliki school with the Shafi’i school on this point. A Maliki-trained scholar can confirm which view applies.

Some of these pages describe the fidya view as a majority position, and the Islamic Association of Raleigh calls the no-fidya opinion the stronger one. These are the views of individual organisations. The schools’ own manuals are the final reference.

Under the Shafi’i and Hanbali view, a woman who fears harm for her own health as well as her child’s makes up the days only, without fidya.

A practical checklist for Ramadan 2027

  1. Work out which group applies. A temporary excuse (flu, a short trip, a pregnancy that ends) points to qada. A lasting one (chronic illness, frail old age) points to fidya, according to the bodies quoted above.
  2. Ask a medical professional early. Those with medical conditions are advised to seek medical advice if they have problems before or during fasting. Ask a pharmacist or doctor about medicine timing before the first fast, and ask your scholar what the answer means for your fast.
  3. Plan travel around Fajr. Note the time you will leave, how far you will go, and how many days you will stay. Compare these with the table above and with your own school.
  4. Record every missed day. A temporary excuse means making up the days after Ramadan and before the next one begins. The printable planners on the downloads page can hold the list.
  5. Know the late-qada position. According to Human Concern, most scholars of the Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools add fidya for each day if qada was delayed past the next Ramadan without a valid reason. The Hanafi view is not covered in that source.
  6. If fidya applies, confirm the local amount. Charities and mosques in each country publish a figure, and it changes. Ask your mosque or scholar for the current one rather than relying on a number found online.

For zakat and charity planning around the month, the zakat calculator is also available, though fidya and zakat are separate obligations.

Sources

This article explains what the four Sunni schools say and links its sources. It is not a fatwa. Dates are expected dates and depend on moon sighting where you live. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.

Header image: illustration, AI-generated.