His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Sa‘ad Al-Khathlan, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and a Professor of Jurisprudence at the Faculty of Islamic Law “Sharie’ah” at Al-Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, has underscored that diabetics (Type I), in which the pancreas stops to make insulin, is allowed to break the fast of Ramadan; as this type of diabetes is treated by insulin, that cannot be taken through mouth because the digestive enzymes in the stomach decompose insulin, which means that most patients must take it by injection. This came in a lecture conducted by His Eminence under the entitle: “Fasting Ramadan and Diabetes”, which was on the sidelines of the second meeting of managers of diabetes centers and units, held recently by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Sheikh Al-Khathlan has pointed out that diabetes type II (i.e. deficit in the pancreas cells) in which the patient’s pancreas can produce insulin, but this produced insulin is not properly absorbed; therefore, it doesn’t require the patient to break the fast of Ramadan; because s/he can arrange times of treatment between breakfast and sohoor (last meal before daybreak during Ramadan). SheikhAl-Khathlan went on adding that if the patient cannot manage this arrangement, he will be exempted from the Fast too, but after seeing a doctor to make sure if his condition requires breaking the fast or not.
Furthermore, Sheikh Al-Khathlan has expounded that the pregnant woman is allowed to break the fast of Ramadan, even if she is not infected with diabetes, explaining that the pregnant women are exposed to gestational diabetes, which affects a small percentage of pregnant women. Diabetes is usually detected during pregnancy and disappears after childbirth. Sheikh Al-Khathlan declared that the breastfeeding woman is allowed to break tht fast as well.
Within the same vein, Sheikh Al-Khathlan has confirmed that the health is one of the greatest blessings of Almighty Allah for human beings, and that the disease is the ill-health, stressing on the importance of enhancing the relationship between doctors and scholars of Islamic Law and Jurisprudence, and vice versa. Moreover, he has indicated that the jurist “Faqeeh” or the scholar cannot give a legitimate judgement on any medical issue except after checking with doctors and taking their medical opinion. Finally, Sheikh Al-Khathlan has underscored the importance of continuity of such constructive cooperation.