Chapter on Extent of Illness in Which Breaking the Fast Becomes Obligatory

Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām|Volume 4|Book 2|Chapter 23

Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām

Volume 4, Book 2, Chapter 23

Chapter on Extent of Illness in Which Breaking the Fast Becomes Obligatory
5 hadiths · 2 commentaries
Hadith 1

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إِبْرَ اهِيمَ عَنْ أَ بِيهِ عَنِ اِبْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنِ اِبْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ قَالَ: كَتَبْتُ إِ لَى أَ بِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أَسْأَلُهُ مَا حَدُّ اَلْمَرَ ضِ اَلَّذِي يُفْطِرُ صَاحِبُهُ وَ اَلْمَرَضِ اَلَّذِي يَدَ عُ صَاحِبُهُ اَلصَّلاَةَ مِنْ قِيَا مٍ فَقَالَ » »بَلِ اَلْإِنْسٰانُ عَلىٰ نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌ« « وَ قَالَ »ذَاكَ إِلَيْهِ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِنَفْسِهِ«.

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Ibn Udhayna, who said: I (narrator) wrote to Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him, asking Imam (a.s): “What is the limit of the illness whose possessor breaks the fast, and the illness whose possessor leaves prayer while standing?” Imam (a.s) said: “Rather, man is a witness over himself,” And Imam (a.s) said: “That is up to him; he is more knowledgeable of himself.”

Hadith 2

وَ عَنْهُ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ مَا حَدُّ اَلْمَرَضِ اَلَّذِي يَجِبُ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ فِيهِ اَلْإِفْطَارُ كَمَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ فِي اَلسَّفَرِ مَنْ كَانَ مَرِيضاً أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ قَالَ» هُوَ مُؤْتَمَنٌ عَلَيْهِ مُفَوَّضٌ إِلَيْهِ فَإِنْ وَجَدَ ضَعْفاً فَلْيُفْطِرْ وَ إِنْ وَجَدَ قُوَّةً فَلْيَصُمْهُ كَانَ اَلْمَرَضُ مَا كَانَ«.

And from him, from Ali, from his father, from Muhammad ibn Isa, from a man, from Samaa, who said: I (narrator) asked Imam (a.s): “What is the limit of the illness in which breaking the fast becomes obligatory upon its possessor, just as it becomes obligatory upon him during travel, when whoever is sick or on a journey?” Imam (a.s) said: “He is entrusted with it, and it is delegated to him. So if he finds weakness, let him break the fast, and if he finds strength, let him fast it, whatever the illness may be.”

Hadith 3

وَ عَنْهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى وَ غَيْرِهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ اَلْحَسَنِ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ مُصَدِّقِ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ عَمَّارٍ اَلسَّابَاطِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ ع: فِي اَلرَّجُلِ يَجِدُ فِي رَأْسِهِ وَجَعاً مِنْ صُدَاعٍ شَدِيدٍ هَلْ يَجُوزُ لَهُ اَلْإِفْطَارُ قَالَ» إِذَا صُدِّعَ صُدَاعاً شَدِيداً وَإِذَا حُمَّ حُمَّى شَدِيدَةً وَإِذَا رَمِدَتْ عَيْنُهُ رَمَداً شَدِيداً فَقَدْ حَلَّ لَهُ اَلْإِفْطَارُ«.

And from him, from Muhammad ibn Yahya and others, from Muhammad ibn Ahmad, from Ahmad ibn al-Hasan, from Amr ibn Said, from Musaddiq ibn Sadaqa, from Ammar al-Sabati, from Abu Abdillah (a.s): (Imam (a.s) was asked) regarding ‘a man who finds pain in his head from a severe headache, Is it permissible for him to break the fast?’ Imam (a.s) said: “If he is afflicted with a severe headache, and if he is afflicted with a severe fever, and if his eye becomes inflamed with severe inflammation, then breaking the fast has become lawful for him.”

Hadith 4

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ اَلْحَسَنِ اَلصَّفَّارُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ حَفْصٍ اَلْمَرْوَزِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ اَلْفَقِيهُ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: »اَلْمَرِيضُ إِنَّمَا يُصَلِّي قَاعِداً إِذَا صَارَ بِالْحَالِ اَلَّتِي لاَ يَقْدِرُ فِيهَا أَنْ يَمْشِيَ مِقْدَارَ صَلاَتِهِ إِلَى أَنْ يَفْرُغَ قَائِماً«.

Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, from Muhammad ibn Isa, from Sulayman ibn Hafs al-Marwazi, who said: The Jurist (al-Faqih) Imam al-Hadi (a.s), peace be upon him, said: “The sick person only prays sitting when he reaches the condition in which he is unable to walk the amount of his prayer until he finishes while standing.”

Commentary 1

ومن كان من المرض على حال يجب عليه فيها الافطار فتكلف الصيام لم يجز عنه وعليه القضاء، يدل على ذلك قوله تعالى:) ومن كان مريضا أو على سفر فعدة من ايام أخر( فأوجب على المريض بظاهر اللفظ عدة من ايام أخر:

And whoever is in such a state of illness that breaking the fast is obligatory upon him, but he burdens himself with fasting, it does not suffice for him, and making it up (qada) is upon him. What indicates this is the saying of Allah (swt), Exalted is He (swt): “And whoever is ill or on a journey, then a number from other days.” Thus, Allah (swt) obligated upon the sick person, by the apparent meaning of the wording, a number from other days. And that which was narrated by (in the following hadith):

Hadith 5

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ بْنِ هِلاَلٍ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ: فِي رَجُلٍ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ وَ هُوَ مَرِيضٌ قَالَ» يُتِمُّ صَوْمَهُ وَ لاَ يُعِيدُ يُجْزِيهِ«.

Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya, from Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Hilal, from Uqbah ibn Khalid, from Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him: (Imam (a.s) was asked) concerning ‘a man who fasted (month of) Ramadan while he was ill.’ Imam (a.s) said: “He completes his fast, and he does not repeat it; it suffices him.”

Commentary 2

فليس بمناف لما ذكرناه لان هذا المريض يحتمل ان يكون انما أجزأ صومه عنه لانه صام وتكلف في حال لم يضر الصوم به ولم يكن قد بلغ إلى حد وجب عليه الافطار.

It does not contradict what we have mentioned, because this sick person may have had his fast suffice for him only because he fasted and burdened himself in a state in which fasting did not harm him, and he had not reached the point at which breaking the fast became obligatory upon him.