`Ulama have different opinions as regards old people.
Some `ulama are of the opinion that if an old man is unable to fast, he
may break the fast provided he feeds a poor man for each day he breaks
the fast. This is what is meant by the term fidyah.
Others said that
an old person was free not to observe the fast without fidyah) on the strength
of the Quranic verse "On no soul does God place a
burden greater than it can bear."
The stipulation
regarding old persons applies to persons afflicted with incurable illnesses.
Sheikh Muhammad
Abdu (a prominent scholar and one time rector of Al-Azhar) was of the opinion
that people engaged in hard manual work like mining, or prisoners sentenced
to hard labour, may break the fast if they can afford the fidyah.