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What is the legal ruling regarding the failure to fast by a sister suffering from brain atrophy, who has no hope of recovery and is not aware of her surroundings, and is she required to feed a poor person, and what is its value in Saudi Riyals?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Fasting is not obligatory for someone who has lost their mind, according to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: "The pen has been lifted from three: from the madman whose mind is overcome until he recovers." The same applies to prayer. Ibn Uthaymeen said: "Anyone who does not have a mind is not obligated, and no religious duty is incumbent upon them, neither prayer, nor fasting, nor feeding [the poor]; meaning, nothing whatsoever is obligatory upon them."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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