Fasting after the 15th of Shaʿbān is not prohibited in the Hanbali school. What is disliked is singling out one or two days immediately before Ramaḍān without a valid reason. Fasting earlier than that, or for habitual, compensatory, vowed, or expiatory reasons, remains permissible.

Q: What is the ruling for breaking the fast due to illness or fear of death? A: It is not permissible for the ill to break their fast if...