UAE Fatwa Q&As: Many alternatives to make up for missed fasts

Please explain what is major expiation and what is the proof for this?

The major expiation involves one of three activities. One can choose one of the following:

• Free a Mumin – a believing, perfect and healthy slave. This is not applicable in this day and age.

• Fast for two consecutive months according to the moon’s crescent.

• Feed 60 impoverished people. Each person has to have one Madd – or meal – equal to the Madd of Prophet Mohammed.

From an Islamic legal perspective on this issue, there is no difference between a poor person (miskeen) or a needy person (faqir).

The proof of this comes in the hadith narrated by Abu Huraira.

He recounted a time when he was sitting with the Prophet Mohammed when a man approached and admitted he had had sexual intercourse with his wife while fasting.

The Prophet Mohammed asked him if he could afford to free a slave, to which the man replied “no”.

He also asked him if he could fast for two months, or afford to feed 60 people, to which the man also said he could not.

“The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept silent and while we were in that state, a big basket full of dates was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him).

“He asked: ‘Where is the questioner?’ He replied: ‘I (am here).’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (to him) ‘Take this (basket of dates) and give it for charity.’ The man said: ‘Should I give it to a person poorer than me? I swear by Allah; there is no family between (Medina’s) two mountains who is poorer than me.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled.”

Is it permissible to make up for the missed days of Ramadan at any time of the year?

It is necessary that the making up of the fast be done before the onset of the next Ramadan. This is because, according to the majority of scholars, it is not permissible to delay the making up of fasts later than this (ie: to do so would be sinful). Additionally, while it is permissible to delay making up for these days within the year, it is still disliked.

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