Who Must Make Up Missed Fasts?

Making up the fast is required of someone whose excuse ends and who can fast afterward. The most important examples are:

• A traveler who broke the fast during travel.
• A sick person whose recovery is expected.
• A menstruating woman or a woman experiencing postpartum bleeding.
• A pregnant or breastfeeding woman who broke the fast because of hardship or a credible fear of harm.
• Someone whose fast became invalid because of something that requires making up the day.
• Someone who deliberately broke the fast without an excuse; together with making up the day, this person must sincerely repent from this grave sin.

Making Up Fasts Missed Because of Menstruation or Postpartum Bleeding

A menstruating woman and a woman experiencing postpartum bleeding are prohibited from fasting while the legally recognized bleeding continues, and their fast is not valid. Once pure, they make up the missed Ramadan days but do not make up the prayers missed during menstruation or postpartum bleeding.

Muadhah, may Allah have mercy on her, said: I asked Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, "Why does a menstruating woman make up the fast but not the prayer?" She replied:

"كَانَ يُصِيبُنَا ذَلِكَ، فَنُؤْمَرُ بِقَضَاءِ الصَّوْمِ، وَلَا نُؤْمَرُ بِقَضَاءِ الصَّلَاةِ".

Meaning: "That used to happen to us, and we were instructed to make up the fast but were not instructed to make up the prayer."

Reported by Muslim.

If menstruation begins even shortly before sunset, the fast of that day becomes invalid and must be made up. If a woman becomes pure before dawn and intends to fast, her fast is valid even if she delays ghusl until after dawn. However, she must perform ghusl in time to pray Fajr.

Making Up Fasts for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

If a pregnant or breastfeeding woman can fast without harm or unusual hardship, she must fast. If she credibly fears harm to herself or her child based on clear experience or the advice of a trustworthy physician, she may break the fast.

The view adopted in this article is that she must make up the fast when able, whether the fear concerned herself or her child, and that feeding alone is not sufficient because her situation resembles that of a sick person expected to recover. Reports from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, prescribe feeding in some cases involving pregnant and breastfeeding women, and scholars have differed on the issue. A woman who follows the recognized legal opinion requiring both feeding and making up the fast when the fear concerns her child has followed a valid scholarly position. According to the view adopted here, however, she should not leave the makeup fast on the basis of feeding alone.

If pregnancy, breastfeeding, or illness continues until another Ramadan and the woman had no period in which she could make up the fasts, she makes them up when able and owes no fidyah for the delay because her excuse continued.

Counting the Days

A Muslim makes up the number of days missed. If the number has been forgotten, the person carefully estimates it until reasonably confident that the obligation has been discharged. There is no requirement to build upon obsessive doubts or remote possibilities, but the person may not settle upon a number known to be fewer than the days missed.

Forming the Intention Before Dawn

Making up a Ramadan fast is an obligatory fast, so its intention must be formed before dawn. The place of intention is the heart, and pronouncing it aloud is not prescribed. It is sufficient for a person to know at bedtime or suhur that the following day will be fasted as a makeup day from Ramadan.

Must the Days Be Consecutive?

The makeup days do not have to be consecutive because Allah says, {an equal number of other days}, without requiring continuity. They may therefore be fasted consecutively or separately. Fasting them consecutively is better when it helps a person act promptly and discharge the obligation.

A Ramadan makeup fast is not valid on either Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, nor during the Days of Tashriq, because fasting on those days is prohibited. The exception established for a pilgrim who cannot find a sacrificial animal concerns fasting connected to the rites of Hajj; it is not an exception for Ramadan makeup fasts.

When Does the Time for Making Up the Fasts End?

The period for making up the fasts extends from after Ramadan until only enough days remain in Shaban to complete the obligatory days. Nevertheless, acting promptly is better and safer.

Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:

"كَانَ يَكُونُ عَلَيَّ الصَّوْمُ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ، فَمَا أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَقْضِيَهُ إِلَّا فِي شَعْبَانَ".

Meaning: "I would owe fasting from Ramadan and would not be able to make it up until Shaban."

Agreed upon.

The hadith shows that making up the fast may be delayed within the year because of an excuse or need. It does not establish that the makeup fast may be delayed beyond the following Ramadan without an excuse.

May a Makeup Fast Be Broken After It Has Begun?

A makeup fast is obligatory. Once it has begun, it should not be broken without a valid excuse. If it is broken for an excuse, the day is made up at another time. If it is broken without an excuse, the person sins, must repent, and must fast a day in its place. Breaking it does not require the major kaffarah.

A Delay Caused by a Continuing Excuse

Someone whose illness continues, a woman whose pregnancy or breastfeeding and related hardship continues, or anyone whose genuine excuse remains until the following Ramadan incurs neither sin nor fidyah because of the delay. The person fasts the current Ramadan and then makes up the earlier days when the excuse ends.

A Delay Without an Excuse

Someone who was able to make up the days but carelessly delayed until another Ramadan has erred and must:

• Repent from the delay.
• Fast the current Ramadan at its proper time.
• Make up the earlier days after Ramadan.
• Feed one poor person for each day because of the delay, according to the view adopted here and the reports from a group of the Prophet's companions, peace and blessings be upon him.

Scholars have differed over whether this feeding is obligatory because no explicit, authentic, marfu hadith establishes it. Some hold that only making up the fast and repenting are required. The obligation to make up the fast is agreed upon. Someone who follows the fatwas of the companions and feeds together with making up the fast has followed the more cautious course and discharged the obligation according to the view adopted here.

Who Must Pay Fidyah Instead of Making Up the Fast?

Fidyah is required of someone who cannot fast now and is not expected to become able to fast in the future, based on normal expectations and the assessment of qualified experts. This includes:

• A frail elderly man or woman for whom fasting causes severe hardship or harm.
• A person with a chronic illness that is not expected to be cured and for whom fasting is impossible or causes significant harm.

A person with a temporary illness expected to end does not move to fidyah. The person may break the fast when needed, wait for recovery, and then make up the days, even if the waiting period lasts more than a year, so long as recovery remains expected.

It is authentically reported that when Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, became old and too weak to fast, he prepared food, invited thirty poor people, and fed them until they were satisfied.

A person who completely loses reason and discernment because of dementia or another cause is not required to fast or pay fidyah during the period in which legal accountability is absent, because reason is a condition of accountability. This differs from an elderly person who retains reason but is unable to fast; the latter feeds others if able to do so.

The Amount of Fidyah for Each Day

Fidyah may be fulfilled in either of two valid forms:

• Give the poor person approximately half a sa of the local staple food, such as rice, wheat, or dates. This is estimated at approximately one and a half kilograms, though the weight varies according to the type of food.
• Provide the poor person with a satisfying meal of customary food.

The fidyah for several days may be given together once the obligation has become established, and it may be given to one poor person or several. Each day is an independent obligation, unlike the kaffarah for intercourse, which explicitly requires sixty poor people.

Fidyah is given to an eligible poor or needy person whose maintenance is not obligatory upon the person paying it. It is not given to a wealthy person, nor should it be turned into a general meal attended by people whose status as rich or poor is unknown.

May Fidyah Be Paid in Cash?

The view adopted here, which is the view of the majority of scholars, is that fidyah must be given as food rather than cash because the revealed text prescribes feeding a poor person. A person may give money to a trustworthy organization as an agent on the condition that it buys food with the money and delivers that food to the poor person, rather than giving the cash value to the recipient as the fidyah itself.

The donor should not rely solely on the name of a donation page or service. The donor should confirm that the organization will provide fasting fidyah in food, using the correct number and amount.

When Is Fidyah Given?

One poor person may be fed for each day after that day begins. The fidyah for days that have passed may also be combined, or the fidyah for the entire month may be delayed until the end of Ramadan or afterward. The fidyah for a particular day is not given before that day begins because its cause has not yet occurred. What matters is that feeding is provided for each required day and reaches an eligible poor person.

What Should Someone Do If Also Unable to Pay Fidyah?

Someone permanently unable to fast who is also poor and owns nothing beyond essential needs with which to feed another person may break the fast and owes nothing beyond what he or she is unable to perform. The person is not required to borrow money to pay the fidyah. Allah Most High says: {So be mindful of Allah to the best of your ability; listen and obey, and spend in charity, for that is best for yourselves. Whoever is protected from the selfishness of his own soul, it is they who are successful.} [al-Taghabun: 16]. If another person volunteers, with permission, to provide the feeding on that person's behalf, it is sufficient.

When Does the Major Kaffarah Become Obligatory?

The major kaffarah becomes obligatory upon someone who deliberately has intercourse during the daytime in Ramadan while fasting was obligatory upon that person, while remembering the fast, and while acting willingly rather than under coercion. Together with the kaffarah, the person must:

• Repent sincerely, feel remorse, and abandon the sin.
• Refrain from all invalidators for the remainder of the day out of respect for Ramadan's sanctity.
• Make up that day.
• Perform the kaffarah in its prescribed order.

This kaffarah is not required because of intercourse during a makeup or voluntary fast because it is specifically connected to violating the sanctity of a Ramadan day. Intercourse does invalidate a makeup fast, however, so the day must be made up again and the person must repent from breaking an obligatory fast.

The Evidence for the Kaffarah and Its Order

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:

"بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، إِذْ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هَلَكْتُ. قَالَ: مَا لَكَ؟ قَالَ: وَقَعْتُ عَلَى امْرَأَتِي وَأَنَا صَائِمٌ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: هَلْ تَجِدُ رَقَبَةً تُعْتِقُهَا؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَهَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تَصُومَ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ؟ قَالَ: لَا. فَقَالَ: فَهَلْ تَجِدُ إِطْعَامَ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: فَمَكَثَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ أُتِيَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِعَرَقٍ فِيهِ تَمْرٌ، وَالعَرَقُ المِكْتَلُ. قَالَ: أَيْنَ السَّائِلُ؟ فَقَالَ: أَنَا. قَالَ: خُذْهَا فَتَصَدَّقْ بِهِ. فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ: أَعَلَى أَفْقَرَ مِنِّي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا بَيْنَ لَابَتَيْهَا، يُرِيدُ الحَرَّتَيْنِ، أَهْلُ بَيْتٍ أَفْقَرُ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي. فَضَحِكَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى بَدَتْ أَنْيَابُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَطْعِمْهُ أَهْلَكَ".

Meaning: "While we were sitting with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, a man came and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I am ruined.' He asked, 'What happened to you?' The man said, 'I had intercourse with my wife while I was fasting.' The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked, 'Can you find a slave to free?' He said, 'No.' He asked, 'Can you fast two consecutive months?' He said, 'No.' He asked, 'Can you feed sixty poor people?' He said, 'No.' The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, remained there. Then a basket of dates was brought to him. He asked, 'Where is the questioner?' The man said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Take this and give it in charity.' The man asked, 'To someone poorer than me, O Messenger of Allah? By Allah, there is no household between the two lava fields of Madinah poorer than my household.' The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, laughed until his canine teeth became visible, then said, 'Feed it to your family.'"

Agreed upon.

The hadith shows that the kaffarah is sequential rather than a free choice:

• Free a believing slave.
• If unable to find one, fast two consecutive months.
• If genuinely unable to fast, feed sixty poor people.

Someone able to fast the two months may not move directly to feeding merely because feeding is easier or faster.

The kaffarah should be performed promptly when the person is able. It may not be delayed without an excuse because it is an established obligation.

Fasting Two Consecutive Months

The person fasts two consecutive months, meaning sixty consecutive days according to the view adopted here, and may begin on any day. If the fast is interrupted without an excuse, the person must begin again. A legally valid excuse beyond the person's control, such as a woman's menstruation, does not break continuity. She refrains from fasting during the excuse and resumes after it ends.

Feeding Sixty Poor People

Someone unable to free a slave or fast for two months feeds sixty different poor people. Each person receives half a sa of the local staple food, approximately one and a half kilograms depending on the type of food, or each person is provided with a satisfying meal.

Giving all the food to one poor person is insufficient because the hadith expressly requires sixty poor people. Directly paying cash is not sufficient according to the view adopted here. A trustworthy organization may be appointed to purchase food and distribute it to sixty eligible recipients.

If the person is genuinely unable to free a slave, fast, or feed others and owns nothing beyond essential needs with which to feed sixty people, then according to the view adopted here, the obligation beyond the person's ability falls away, while repentance and making up the day remain obligatory. Wanting to preserve money for nonessential comforts or to avoid the hardship of fasting is not a legally recognized inability.

Does the Wife Also Owe Kaffarah?

According to the view adopted here, if the wife was fasting, willingly participated, remembered her fast, and was not coerced, she must repent, make up the day, and perform the kaffarah just as the husband must. If the husband genuinely coerced her in a manner she could not resist, then according to the adopted view she bears no sin and owes neither a makeup fast nor kaffarah because a coerced person does not act by choice.

These rulings may not be used to pressure the wife or accuse her of willing participation. Coercion and consent are factual matters requiring honesty and justice, and an abusive husband bears the sin of his action and coercion.

Does the Kaffarah Multiply When Intercourse Is Repeated?

If intercourse occurred on separate days of Ramadan, then according to the view adopted here, each day requires a separate kaffarah. Repetition on the same day, differences in the circumstances, and when the person learned the ruling involve details that cannot be resolved through a general article. The person should ask a trustworthy scholar and accurately explain what occurred.

Is the Major Kaffarah Required for Deliberately Eating or Drinking?

Someone who deliberately breaks the fast by eating, drinking, smoking, or masturbating until ejaculation has committed a grave sin and must repent and make up the day. According to the stronger view, however, the major kaffarah for intercourse is not required because the evidence specifically concerns intercourse.

The person must also refrain from invalidators for the remainder of the day out of respect for Ramadan's sanctity. The absence of the major kaffarah does not mean that the sin is minor or that making up the day alone removes the sin. Sincere repentance, abundant good deeds, and a firm commitment not to violate the sanctity of the fast again are required.

Someone who eats or drinks forgetfully has a valid fast and must complete it, with neither a makeup fast nor kaffarah required. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"مَنْ نَسِيَ وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ، فَأَكَلَ أَوْ شَرِبَ، فَلْيُتِمَّ صَوْمَهُ، فَإِنَّمَا أَطْعَمَهُ اللَّهُ وَسَقَاهُ".

Meaning: "Whoever forgets while fasting and eats or drinks should complete the fast, for it was Allah who fed him and gave him drink."

Agreed upon.