if the father is present, it is the father who must provide the food, because he—not the mother—is responsible for supporting his child. Accordingly, we address the mother only with regard to fasting; as for providing food, we address the father. If the father does not provide the food, the mother incurs no sin thereby. Thus, the author’s statement—may Allah have mercy on him—differs from the established school in this issue.

Whoever forms the intention to fast, then becomes insane or loses consciousness for the entire day and does not regain consciousness for any part of it, his fast is not valid—unlike one who sleeps throughout the entire day. The unconscious person alone is required to make up the fast...

His statement: “Whoever forms the intention to fast, then becomes insane or loses consciousness for the entire day and does not regain consciousness for any part of it, his fast is not valid—unlike one who sleeps throughout the entire day. The unconscious person alone is required to make up the fast.” The word “alone” in this wording is somewhat problematic, because it gives the impression that what is meant is: without feeding anyone, whereas this is not the intended meaning. Rather, what is meant is that, among these three, the unconscious person is the one required to make up the fast. Thus, it would have been clearer had he said: “Only the unconscious person is required to make up the fast.”

These are three similar conditions: insanity, unconsciousness, and sleep; yet their rulings differ.

First: insanity. If a person becomes insane throughout the entire day of Ramadan, from before dawn until the sun sets, his fast is not valid, because he is not qualified for worship. Sanity is a condition for both obligation and validity. Accordingly, his fast is invalid, and he is not required to make it up, because he is not qualified for obligation.

Second: the unconscious person. If he loses consciousness due to an accident or illness—after