Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
A person with epilepsy is excused from fasting if they must take medication during the day. If fasting is impossible due to ongoing medical needs, fidyah (feeding a poor person per missed fast) can be given instead. Islam prioritizes ease and does not impose hardship on believers.
Elaborating more on your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Understanding Epilepsy and Fasting Exemptions
Your husband who had to take medication for epilepsy falls under the category of the sick. So, he did not break any rule, for a sick person is excused from fasting if he cannot avoid taking medication.
What to Do If You Miss a Fast Due to Epilepsy
So, in this case he needs not feel sorry for what he has done; rather he only needs to make up for the day he has missed.
In the future, if he can take the medication before fasting and that would be sufficient and would not interfere with his health, then he can continue fasting.
When Fasting Becomes Too Difficult for Epileptics
If, however, he must take medication during the day at all times without fail, then it is advisable for him not to fast.
In this case, he needs to offer fidyah by feeding a poor person for every single day of fast he has missed; he does not need to make up for the fast he has missed if his sickness remains with him forever.
The Compassionate Approach of Islam Towards Health
Remember, Allah’s laws are not intended to impose hardship on us. Allah says, {He wishes to grant you ease and He does not wish to impose hardship on you.} (Al-Hajj 22:78)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, “Allah loves His servants to make use of His concessions just as He loves them to carry out His orders.” (Ahmad)
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Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.