- EN (English)
| Fatwa ID: | 76583 |
| Title: | Pregnant and/or breastfeeding during Ramadan for several years: need help with the rules of fidya |
| Category: | Women |
| Scholar: | Dr. Main Khalid Al-Qudah |
| Date: | 10/11/2008 |
Assalaamu alaykum,
I am confused about missed fasting. I gave birth to my first born in October 2003. I think Ramadan was sometime in November that year, so I could not fast due to post-natal bleeding and breastfeeding. My little one weaned from the breastfeeding when he was four months old, but I did not start making up the missed fasts immediately. Then I got pregnant again with my second child when my first was only six months old. Even though I was pregnant in 2004, al-hamdulillah, I fasted the whole month of Ramadan with no problem. But I did not fast in the Ramadan of 2005 because I was breastfeeding, even though my little one was eating solids. In 2006, I made up both the missed fasting of 2003 and 2005, but I did not pay any fidya (expiation) up to now because I didn't know the ruling about it. Again, I missed the 2007 Ramadan because of another difficult (in terms of morning sickness) pregnancy. I gave birth in April 2008, and a couple of months later, I tried to make up the missed fasting before we reached Ramadan of 2008, but unfortunately I was not able to continue. My relatives advised me to stop fasting and pay the fidya. I am really confused about the fidya. What missed days of Ramadan do I need to pay fidya for? Please help me out. And, if it happens that I need to pay fidya, who can I give it to, as people in the
Jazakum Allahu khairan.
The ruling is as follows:
1 - Any day you broke your fast because of pregnancy or suckling needs to be made up, and you need to feed one poor person per day.
2 - Any day you did not fast due to postpartum bleeding - even if you were breastfeeding - need only be made up. No feeding of the poor is required in this case. The same rule applies if you broke the fast because of illness.
3 - Missed days of Ramadan must be made up each year before the next Ramadan arrives.
4 - Failure to do so means that you must feed one poor person per day per year. For example, if you did not fast one day in Ramadan of 1425 AH, and you have not make it up until now, after finishing the fasting of Ramadan 1429 AH, and you were able to make this day up in all past years, then you must make this day up and feed four poor people - one person for each year -as expiation for your shortcoming in delaying the fasting without a legitimate excuse.
5 - Pregnancy and breastfeeding are legitimate excuses for breaking the fast. So, if you broke your fast one day last year because you were sick, but then you were pregnant and/or breast feeding during the entire time between that Ramadan and the most recent one, and that is why you did not make it up, then you would only be obligated to make the day up, and no further expiation (of feeding one poor person) would be required.
6 - You can pay the fidyah in cash, with a minimum of $5 per person. You can send it to any of the charitable organizations operating here in the
Based on the above rules, you should be able to do your calculations and determine how many days to fast and how many poor people to feed.
