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The Quran’s injunctions of fasting are explained briefly. These injunctions have been given in the surah Bakrah. The related verse are given below:

1. “O believers, prescribed for you is fasting, as it was prescribed for those that were before you that you may safeguard the Divine Laws.”(2: 183)

2. “Fasting is for a prescribed number of days.”(2:184)

3. “If (during Ramadan) any of you is sick or on a journey, he must complete the prescribed number by fasting on other days.”(2:184)

4. “And if those who cannot fast except with strain hard to bear, providing food for a person in need in lieu there-of is enough for them.”(2:184)

5. “Whoso volunteers for good, it is good for him; that you fast is good for you provided you understand the rationale for fasting.”(2:184)

6. “Fastings are of the month of Ramadan during which the Quran has been revealed.”(2:185)

7. “Hence a person among you who is at home during this month should observe fasting of this month. If anyone of you is sick or is on a journey, he should complete the prescribed number of fasts by fasting on other days.”(2:185)

8. “And eat and drink unit the white thread of the dawn becomes clear to you from the black thread, then complete the fast up to the night.”(2:187)

9. “Permitted to you, on the night of fasting, is to cohabit with your wives.”(2:187)

With these verse, it became known that:

• Fastings are of the month of Ramadan (neither of three days, nor of nine day, but of the complete month).
• During fasting – right from the time the white thread of the dawn becomes clear till the end of day – eating, drinking and having sexual intercourse with one’s wife is prohibited.
• Fastings are for a person who is at home during this month and is healthy. The patient, on recovering from illness, and the traveler, on returning from journey, may complete the prescribed number of fast by fasting on other days.
• One condition remains unsettled now. It is for the person who (in so-called general meanings) is neither sick nor on journey. But due to one or the other reason, fasting for him is a strain hard to bear e.g. there is an old man residing at his residence and is not sick. But due to his old age, he has become so weak that he can not fast except with great hardship. It is evident, he can not be said to complete the prescribed number of fasts by fasting on other days after the month of Ramadan. The decree for such persons has been described in verse 4: Those who can not fast except with great hardship, need not to entangle, in any hardship. They may provide food for a person in need in lieu there-of.

Pause to reflect. The above mentioned three kinds have contained the nature of every condition. That was the very requirement of the comprehensibility of the injunction. 

We have translated this verse  “waAAala allatheena yuteeqoonahu” as “Those who may fast but with a strain hard to bear.” Though it is generally translated as “Those who have capability to fast.” This translation is not correct. It is because this translation would mean: Those-who-have-capability-to-fast may provide food to a person in need while those-who-no-capability-to-fast may observe fasting. It cannot be the will of the Quran. The crux of the matter is that the exposition of the word “TAQAT” acccepted to be understood in Urdu among us is different from its exposition in Arabic language. Consult Arabic Lexicons for it. At page 1304, Volume two of Moheel-ul-Moheet, it is written as: 

“The meaning of TAQAT is ‘to be able to’, ‘to have power over a thing’ – but ‘to be able to’ is such a quality of prowess which a person can hardly do. Actually this word is derived from ‘TAUQ’ which means to grab anything within its enclosure.” “That which we have no prowess”  is  not the  meaning  of this verse  “rabbana wala tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bihi” (2:286).   Its meanings are “The compliance of which is hard for us.” 

Similarly in the famous Arabic Lexicon “Lisan-ul-Arab,” vol. 12, p. 103, it is written: 

TAQAT is the name of that quantity of prowess, which is possible with great hardship for a human. 

Muftee Muhammad Abduh, in his ‘Tafseer-ul-Manaar’ vol. II, at page 155, writes:

ITAA QATUN, in fact, is absolutely the lower nomenclature of MAKNAT and QUDRAT. For this reason, the Arabs use ATAQ-UL-SHAEY only at that time when its prowess is extremely weak, i.e. ‘it be hard to bear’. So UTEE QOONA HOO ‘old, weak and crippled people whose state of disrepair cannot be expected to be removed and that these are the people who like them are helpless. It means these are the working class people whose subsistence, God has placed in the jobs, which are hard to be accomplished. That is why Imam Raghib (on him be mercy) has written: TAQAT, is the name of that quantity of the prowess ‘the doing of which is with great hardship for the human.’ 

This has, too, been corroborated with the ‘Tafseer Kashaaf,’ where it has been written that: 

The exposition of TAQATUN includes those jobs the performance of which is with strain hard to bear. And the words “waAAala allatheena yuteeqoonahu” mean those old men and old women for whom there is the decree of redemption for not fasting. It is for this reason that this verse is confirmed and not repealed. 

In the exegesis ‘Rooh-ul-Ma’ani,’ there is written that 

In Arabic language, the word al-was’a is the name of that prowess “which is with ease” and the word taqa tun is the name of that power “which is with severity and hardship.” Hence the meaning (of this verse) would be “And these persons, who can fast with severity and hardship, have to give food to a person in need.”

(Rooh-ul-ma’ani, vol. II, p. 59) 

From the aforementioned elaborations, you have understood the exposition of the word taqa tun           in the Arabic language and hence on the same basis,  the  translation of this verse “waAAala allatheena yuteeqoonahu” like the following translation is not correct: “And those who have the power to observe fasting.”  Its correct translation is this: Those who can observe fasting with strain hard to bear. 

As you know, the style of the Quran is that it puts forth a principle, and then it leaves to the collective system of the Ummah to stem its detail on its own. Hence this very comprehensive style has been used for this verse:  “waAAala allatheena yuteeqoonahu” 

A principle has been stated here and its detail has not been given on its own (as to whom are those people who can fast with strain hard to bear). Its detail has already been defined and can even now be reconsidered. Nevertheless, in Allama Qartabee’s book ‘Jaama-e-Ahkaam-ul-Quran’ (vol, II, pp. 368-369), it has been written that: 

All the scholars agree on this contention that old men and old women, who do not even have power to fast, or can fast with severe hard labor, not to observe fasting is legitimate for them. But there is disagreement on this point: What is the charge that such people have to undertake? Hence Imam Rabee and Imam Malik (on them be mercy) have said: There is no charge that they have to undertake. But Imam Malik, has, also, said if these people give food to a person in need every day, it is desirable in my opinion. Hazrat Uns, Ibn-e-Abbas, Qais bin Assaa-eb and Abu Huraira (on them be mercy) have said: The charge they have to undertake is redemption and not the making up for the omission (the delayed fasting).

Muftee Syed Muhammad Abduh has further added to it, and has said: 

The verse alla zeena utee qoona is intended to mean such old, weak and crippled people whose removal of their state of disrepair is not expected. In the same way those people will also be included in their category who are laborers, whose subsistence God has laced in the jobs very hard to accomplish, i.e. labor of the coal mining, and those criminals who are in rigorous imprisonment and those for whom fasting is with strain-hard-to-bear. The third category is of those people for whom fasting is with strain hard to bear due to some factors which are not expected to be removed.  For example old age, congenital weakness, employment in the jobs demanding hard labor and chronic disease the recovery of which is not expected. And similarly those people whose cause of strain is a normal routine, for example pregnant woman and lactating woman. It is legitimate for all these people that in lieu of fasting they may give food to a person in need. The quality of the food may be equal to the average food of a normal person to fill up his/her belly.

(Tafseer-ul-Manaar, vol. II, pp. 155-157) 

These elaborations enable to compile the following list: 

• Old man and old woman

• Pregnant woman

• Lactating Woman

• Crippled and Invalids

• Those suffering from chronic diseases – who may not be expected to recover and may, with this state of disrepair, fast with strain hard to bear

• The weak – who are constitutionally born weak

• The labor whose subsistence is always through the jobs demanding severe hard labor, for example those working in the mines, in the factories or rickshaw-drivers

• The criminal who are taken in rigorous work in the prisons 

This is not the only comprehensive list. Additions according to the existing as well as individual circumstances can be made to it. But the principle is this alone: whosoever can fast with strain hard to bear, may not fast. 

Briefly saying these are the very injunctions of the Quran about fasting. Consult these verses in the Quran on your own as well. (i.e. Surah Baqr, verse 183 to 188)        (1963)