Should a Person Who Lost Sanity Make Fasts?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

A person who becomes mentally unstable (believes he/she is someone else,etc) doesn’t fast in Ramadan. After Ramadan they regain their sanity. Do they have to makeup all the missed fasts of Ramadan?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

A mentally insane (majnun) individual would be required to make up their missed fasts if they regained their sanity and were thus conscious of the fast for any moment in the month of Ramadan.

Allah Most High says, “It was in the month of Ramadan that the Quran was revealed as guidance for mankind, clear messages giving guidance and distinguishing between right and wrong. So any one of you who is present that month should fast, and anyone who is ill or on a journey should make up for the lost days by fasting on other days later. God wants ease for you, not hardship. He wants you to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him for having guided you, so that you may be thankful.” [2:185]

The reason for this is that the legal cause (sabab) for the obligation of the fast is, in legal lexicon, “witnessing” or “being present” in the month (shuhud al-shahr). Practically, and for all intents and purposes, if you were sane (‘aqil) at any point during the month, you would be obligated to make the fasts up, even if (a) you weren’t necessarily responsible for fasting at the time, and (b) you weren’t sinful. If you were lax in your duty to fast, at any point when it was reasonably possible to do so, you would need to repent for your error.

In cases of hardship and need, such as prolonged sickness or recurring mental instability, there is another position which can be availed of. But, generally, it would be proper and more precautionary to stick to what is mentioned above, particularly in one-off cases.

Ask Allah Most High for facilitation and ease, and use these days as an opportunity for seeking Him alone. Eat well, rest well and do the best you can.

[Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar (2.82); Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah, with Tahtawi’s Gloss (2.290/344); Razi, Tuhfat al-Muluk (175)]

Please also see: The Complete Guide to Fasting and: Fasting: A Comprehensive SeekersHub Reader and: Is Bipolar Disorder an Excuse to Not Fast? and: Prophetic Supplications for Fasting

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.