Sharia Ruling on Breastfeeding and Fasting in Islam for Woman: With regard to breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women, fasting in Ramadan may have two applications. If women and the baby don’t have to face the fear of any harm… and if both feared to be harm due to fast.

Thus, the decision of feeding the baby or not based on the health of both, ‘the baby and the breastfeeding mother’. However, most of the scholars are of view that it is permitted for woman to leave the fast of Ramadan. And many Islamic jurists say that it is not good for women observe fasting if she is feeding the child who is tiny and exclusively breastfed.

However, it's wrong to ignore this act of kindness by fasting when mother don't have to. Generally, it is allowed and sometimes necessary to leave the fast of Ramadan for breastfeeding mother. Moreover, some of the Islamic scholars and sheikh stated that if she fears for her child, it is obligatory for her not to fast and it is haraam for her to fast. As Al-Mirdaawi said in al-Insaaf,

It is makrooh for her to fast in this case… Ibn ‘Aqeel said: If a pregnant woman or a breastfeeding mother fears for her pregnancy or her child, then it is not permissible for her to fast in this case, but if she does not fear for her child then it is not permissible for her not to fast.

The permission of leaving the fast during the breastfeeding is derived from verse of the Quran generally addressing when a person is allowed to leave the fast in Surah al-Baqarah 2:185 Allah SWT says,

“and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Sawm (fasts) must be made up] from other days”
 

Last Updated: 21/7/2015