A minor headache for example with no other conditions may not in many instances constitute a situation where a person can use the flexibility of the injusction of illness to skip Ramadan fast. Scholars agree that sickness that doesn’t cause any hardship cannot be used as an excuse for not fasting. Some of the conditions for breaking fast during Ramadan are as follows:

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Intense illness that will further aggravate the illness if he or she were to fast, or that recovery will be delayed because of fasting.

Illness that causes great pain in fasting or it becomes unbearable with fasting.

“The person who is unable to fast because of a sickness which he hopes will go away is not obliged to fast. This applies if he encounters obvious difficulty in fasting and is not subject to the condition that he reaches a point when he is unable to fast. Rather our companions said: The permission not to fast is subject to the condition that fasting causes him difficulties that it is hard for him to bear.” —– [Al-Nawawi said in al-Majmoo’, 6/261]

Again, consider this: “With regard to the person who is slightly sick and who does not suffer any obvious hardship, it is not permissible for him to break his fast, and there is no difference of opinion among us concerning that. —– [Al-Nawawi – Al-Majmoo’, 6/261]

This means the sick person who is not affected by fasting, such as one who has a slight cold or headache, or a slight toothache and the like, is not permitted to break his fast. The injuction in Quran 2 verse 185 is refering to cronic illness that causes great pain and difficulty or that is unbearable. It depends on the individual and the nature of the illness. Almighty allah loves His concessions to be accepted just as He hates the disobedience of His commandments.

Again, Islam provides concessions to the aged or people who neither can fast nor can make up for the missed fasts later. Any of these people will have to feed one poor person a day as equivalent to one day fasting. The Quran states: “And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskeen (poor person) (for every day)” —– [Surah al-Baqarah 2:184]