My father's death has had many effects on me, but one in particular relates to Ramadan. When a Muslim dies, all the days of fasting he or she missed when alive have to be made up by the family. My father was on medication for close to six years and so was not always able to observe the fast strictly. When he passed away, some of those days became my family's burden. Specifically, a son must make up for his father's fasting debt, and since I'm the only son in my family ...
Luckily for me, I consulted an imam and he clarified that since my father had died because of his illness, the fasting debts were dropped. If he was healthy and had died in a car accident, on the other hand, they would still be valid. The reason we take this so seriously is because we want to ensure our departed loved ones go to heaven, and debt, spiritual or financial, can prevent this from happening.