Fasting: Pregnancy, Fasting, and Loss: Rulings on Validity, Liability, and Intent

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Fasting: Pregnancy, Fasting, and Loss: Rulings on Validity, Liability, and Intent

English:

Question #742:

A pregnant woman fasted while she was breast-feeding her baby. When she delivered, the baby was found dead. From the beginning she had thought that her fasting might be harmful, but she fasted nevertheless. 1. Was her fasting valid? 2. Is she liable to pay blood money? 3. What is the ruling in her case if she did not think that fasting would be harmful but later found it to be otherwise?

Answer #742:

If she fasted even after she had reasonable fears that fasting would be harmful to her or her baby, or she discovered later that fasting was harmful to herself or her baby, then her fast is invalid, and she has to perform its qaḍā’. However, the liability of paying the blood money depends upon proving that her fasting caused the death of the fetus.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Fasting