Question:

Assalaamu ‘Alaykum,
Is someone who suffers from hemorrhoids negatively affected by fasting? Does it affect someone in the first stages of hemorrhoids?
Thank you.

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Ever-Merciful
Dear brother,
Assalaamu ‘Alaykum,

As you know, while fasting we abstain from food and drink for a period of 12 to15 hours per day. This not only relieves the stomach and intestines but also relieves the glands that secrete digestive juices, starting with the salivary glands, liver and pancreas. To maintain muscular and mental activity and to keep the physical organs performing efficiently, the body secretes hormones to convert the stored glycogen within the muscles and liver into sugars. The body burns these sugars to generate energy for its activity. The glycogen is the surplus sugar from previous meals which is stored for future needs. Meanwhile, the body also burns limited amounts of deposited fat for the same purpose.

While fasting, the body also maintains hydration and regulates the water balance. Thus, the amount of urine noticeably decreases with the secretion of a special hormone. This makes urine very concentrated and yellow. This is followed by a decrease in secreting sweat. Actually, the secretion of sweat takes precedence over the secretion of urine because the former maintains normal body temperature and prevents it from rising and damaging vital organs.

Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {But to fast is best for you} [Quran 2: 184] The Prophet said: "Nobody has filled any receptacle worse than his own stomach."
Fasting has no direct impact on hemorrhoids, unless there is constipation due to eating certain foods during the month. This is not related to fasting itself; rather, it is related to the diet followed by some people during Ramadan, by eating food that is hard to digest and lacks roughage, such as meat and fried food, more than salads. This causes constipation and contradicts the etiquettes of fasting due to eating excessive amounts of food.
From the other etiquettes of fasting is to break the fast with dates and water, then going to the Masjid to perform the Maghrib (sunset) prayer first and then having the meal for breaking the fast. This plays an important role in preparing the stomach for eating. Moreover, dates contain sugars that the body needs after fasting. The fiber provided by dates also plays an important role as an anti-constipating agent. Consequently, when you follow the Sunnah and observe the etiquettes of fasting, this is most likely to alleviate constipation and, in turn, hemorrhoids, by the permission of Allah.
Allah is The Bestower of success.