Grand Ayatollah Shirazi remarks on fasting of newly-reached-taklif girls
The daily scholarly meeting of Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Sadegh al-Hosseini al-Shirazi was held on Saturday, Sunday and Monday 27th, 28th and 29th of Sha’ban. In these sessions, just like the previous meetings, the Marja answered the questions of the attendees about various jurisprudential issues.
Stressing the fact that the difficulty and hardship that can excuse someone from fasting does not only include illness, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi said: Of course, illness is mentioned in verse 184 of Surah Al-Baqarah: And whoever among you is sick or a traveler, counting the number of missed days, they should fast during days other than the month of Ramadan. But sometimes a person is not sick, but if they fast, they will experience difficulty and hardship, and as it is stated in verse 78 of Surah Hajj: And in terms of duty in religion, hardship and suffering have not been imposed on you; therefore, whether it is in prayer, fasting or other Ahkam, if the practice causes difficulty for someone, they can skip it.
His Eminence mentioned one example of such difficulty, and said: For example, girls who have just reached taklif and have a weak constitution can avoid fasting if there is not only certainty, but even if there is a fear of harm in case of fasting. They should fulfill the missed days of fasting, if they are able to fast during other months of the year. But if they can’t, in order to compensate, they should give three quarters of a kilo of bread to the poor for every day if they have money. But, if the girl herself does not have money, there is no need for her father to pay fidya and she can ask for Divine forgiveness (do Istighfar) instead.
Regarding the ruling on fasting for some patients, the Marja said: People with diseases such as kidney disease and diabetes, who need to take medicine and drink water regularly, if the doctor allows them to take the medicine at night, they can fast and drink as much water as they need. But if the doctor’s opinion is that the medicine must be taken during the day, they can break their fast and take the medicine, and after the holy month of Ramadan, fulfill their missed fast, if they can. Otherwise, they must pay one fidya.
Grand Ayatollah Shirazi emphasized that a person who does not fast in Ramadan due to illness does not have to pay fidya. He also said: Four categories of people must pay fidya if they do not fast, namely old men and women, a person suffering polydipsia, a woman who is due to give birth shortly, and a woman who is breastfeeding and if she fasts, she or her baby will be harmed. So, these four categories can avoid fasting, but they must pay fidya as compensation. Some of these groups must fulfill their missed fasting days (Qadha) and if they don’t, they must pay two fidya.
