Fasting is one of the pillars of worship in Islam, similar to prayer, zakāh, ḥajj, and defensive jihād. Fasting during Ramaḍān has a specific time frame and can only be deferred for a valid legal excuse, shifting from performance to making up the fast later or offering expiation.

Breaking the fast for those obligated to fast is only permitted for a valid excuse such as legitimate travel, illness, old age, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and for those with strenuous jobs like bakers working in front of ovens and similar professions.

In general, sports competitions are not considered valid reasons to break the fast for those obligated to fast because they are not necessities or general needs and do not constitute a legitimate reason for breaking an obligatory duty. However, it is permissible to break the fast due to severe hardship, fear of harm, or danger.

For an athlete participating in such a competition, he should begin fasting, but if he fears for his life or experiences severe hardship completing the fast, he may break it due to the hardship, not because of the competition itself.

As for breaking the fast due to school or university exams or other tests, exams are generally not considered a valid legal reason to break the fast for those obligated to fast. This is because exams are similar to work, and if it were permissible to break the fast for this reason, it would be allowed for anyone with a mental or physical job, which would undermine the obligation entirely.

Therefore, exams are not a valid reason to break the fast during Ramaḍān. However, if fasting results in severe or considerable hardship, it is permissible to break the fast due to the hardship, as alleviating hardship is one of the objectives of Sharī῾ah. Allāh says: “Allāh intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship” [Al-Baqarah: 185], and “He has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty” [Al-Hajj: 78]. The rule is that hardship brings ease.

Severe hardship includes situations where the individual is convinced that fasting during the exam will cause them to fail, such as experiencing disorientation, severe headaches, or weakness that makes it difficult to take the exam, and if the exam cannot be rescheduled. In such cases, it is also permissible to break the fast and make it up later, as failing the exam could result in significant harm or difficulty, such as losing a year, missing an opportunity, or incurring additional expenses.

Aside from these situations, the default principle is to perform the obligatory act of worship.

Fatwā issued by Dr. Khālid Naṣr