Not Fasting Due To Illness - Qadha or Compensation

[ummtaalib]

Not Fasting Due To Illness

 

QUESTION

Due to the illness of diabetes, I missed many fasts. Do I have to make qadha now or a kaffara is necessary?

 

ANSWER

        In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

It is a well-established principle of Shariah that, it is permissible not to fast or break an already kept fast due to reasons that are beyond one’s control, such as travelling, illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc, although a traveller may not enter into a fast, but it will not be permissible for him to break an already kept fast. (See: Radd al-Muhtar, 2/421)

Allah Most High says:

“(Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the prescribed number (should be made up) from days later.” (al-Baqarah, 184)

Regarding illness, the great Hanafi jurist, Imam al-Haskafi (Allah have mercy on him) states in the chapter of “excuses that permit not to fast” in his excellent work Durr al-Mukhtar:

“(It is permissible not to fast) for an individual who is ill and fears that his/her illness will increase, or a healthy person who fears that he will become ill due to fasting.” (Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar, 2/422)

Thus, there is no sin for not fasting or breaking a fast that was already kept due to illness such as diabetes in your case. The compensation will be (as mentioned in the verse of the Qur’an quoted earlier) making up for the fast on another day (qadha) when you are reasonably able to do so.

And Allah Knows Best
 

[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam

Darul Iftaa

Leicester , UK

[ummtaalib]

Compensating for Fasts missed due to Illness

 

Q: Due to illness a person is unable to fast. How does he compensate for the missed fasts?

 

A: A person who is terminally ill and is unable to fast will compensate by giving fidyah for each missed fast. The amount of fidyah is equal to Sadaqatul fitr. If the person recovers from the illness then it will be obligatory on him to make Qadha of the missed fasts. (Ahsanul Fataawa vol.4 pg.442, Bahishti Zewar vol.3 pg.20)

فالشيخ الفاني الذي لايقدر على الصيام يفطر ويطعم لكل يوم مسكينا كما يطعم في الكفارة (الفتاوى الهندية ج2 ص207)

(ولو مات و عليه صلوات فائتة وأوصى بالكفارة يعطي لكل صلوة نصف صاع من بر) كالفطرة (وكذا حكم الوتر) والصوم (در المختار ج2 ص72)

(وللشيخ الفاني العاجز عن الصوم الفطر ويفدي) وجوبا ولو بأول الشهر قال في الشامي: أي الذي فنيت قوته أو أشرف على الفناء ولذا عرفوه بأنه الذي كل يوم في نقص إلى أن يموت ومثله ما في القهستاني عن الكرماني المريض إذا تحقق اليأس من الصحة فعليه الفدية لكل يوم من المرض نهر (رد المحتار على در المختار ج2 ص427)

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)