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Is it permissible to artificially feed an infant for the sake of fasting, or is it better to abandon fasting for the sake of breastfeeding the infant?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a nursing or pregnant woman fears for herself or her child, it is better for her to break her fast (not to fast), and it is disliked for her to fast. It may even be forbidden if fasting would harm the child. If the child is weaned from breastfeeding, then it is not permissible for her to break her fast. If the intention is weaning, then the child's condition must be considered. If the child would be harmed, then it is not permissible to wean. Otherwise, there is no harm in weaning after consulting the father and reaching an agreement, based on the Almighty's saying: "And if they both desire weaning by mutual consent and consultation, there is no blame upon them." However, if the intention is to switch to artificial milk, this would neglect the benefit of natural breastfeeding, which is of great importance to the child and for which a woman is permitted to break her fast.

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

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