Does kidney dialysis affect the fast?
Short answer
A patient for whom fasting is hard or harmful because of dialysis may break the fast, and his medical condition and ability to fast are considered.
Evidence and explanation
The Shaykh explained that if an illness makes fasting hard or leads to worsening of the illness or delay of recovery, the patient may break the fast.
Scholar referenced
This editorial summary is based on the original source linked below and is not presented as a verbatim quotation from the scholar.
From the text of the answer (Arabic, with an English translation)
Original answer — Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz
هل يؤثر غسيل الكلى على الصيام؟ — فتوى ٧٢٠٩- Question
«أول أنواع المرض ذلكم المرض الذي تفشى في كثير من المسلمين ونسأل الله لهم العافية هو الفشل الكلوي، المصاب بهذا المرض يحتاج إلى الغسيل، والغسيل قد يكون في نهار رمضان، ويسأل كثير من المصابين بهذا المرض فيما لو أذن لهم الأطباء بالصيام هل يؤثر غسيل الكلى على الصيام أو لا يؤثر؟»
English translation (unreviewed): The first kind of illness is the illness that has spread among many Muslims — we ask Allah to grant them well-being — kidney failure. The one afflicted with this illness needs dialysis, and dialysis may fall in the daytime of Ramadan. Many of those afflicted ask, if the doctors permit them to fast, does kidney dialysis affect the fast or not?
- From the text of the answer
«الأمراض متنوعة والمرضى أعلم بأنفسهم، فكل مرض يشق معه الصيام ويؤثر على المريض بزيادة المرض أو تأخر البرء فإنه يجوز له الإفطار، فالغسيل الذي يحصل لأصحاب الكلى إذا كان هذا الغسيل يؤثر عليه لو صام فإنه له الفطر ولا حرج عليه.»
English translation (unreviewed): Illnesses vary and the sick know themselves best. Any illness with which fasting is hard and which affects the patient by worsening the illness or delaying recovery, he is permitted to break the fast. So the dialysis that people with kidney problems undergo: if this dialysis affects him were he to fast, he may break his fast and there is no blame on him.
The Arabic excerpts matched the original page word for word by an automated check and have not had human scholarly review. The English translations are unreviewed translations made for this site; they are not an approved Shari‘ah translation. Rely on the Arabic original.
Source
Does kidney dialysis affect the fast?
Title of the original page (Arabic): هل يؤثر غسيل الكلى على الصيام؟
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him