Q 5:
I suffer from diabetes. Observing Sawm (Fast) affects my health badly. I am seventy two years old.
I usually forget in my Salah (Prayer) and I think this is the result of diabetes.
A:
If you come to know, through experience, that observing Sawm aggravates your disease or delays your recovery or if your well-versed Muslim physician informs you that observing Sawm causes you harm, you are permitted to break your Sawm. Then, you can, after recovery, make up for the days of Sawm you have missed. But if your disease continues, Allah forbids, and you are not able to make up for these days or think mostly that you will not recover, you have to feed a needy person half a Sa` (1 Sa`=3 kg. Approx.) of wheat, dates, rice or the like of the food you usually feed your family for every day of Sawm you have missed. May Allah grant us and you success and cure! (Part No. 10; Page No. 184) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.