Ruling on State Assistance for Expiation
If a person is poor and unable to fast, it is permissible for the ruler to assist him from the Bayt al-Māl. The person may use this assistance both for himself and for his dependents.
If the ẓihār has a specified time limit, it will only end upon the completion of that period.
Evidence from the Sunnah
The Prophet ﷺ, upon hearing the plea of hunger and poverty from Salamah ibn Ṣakhr al-Bayāḍī (رضي الله عنه), instructed that he be given dates from charity, and said:
فأطعم ستين مسكينا وكل أنت وعيالك بقيتها
“Feed sixty poor people, and eat the remainder yourself and feed your family as well.”
[Ḥasan: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 1933; Abū Dāwūd: 2213; Tirmidhī: 3299; Dārimī: 2/163]
Kaffārah Is Always Obligatory
Whether the ẓihār period is fixed or not, the expiation remains obligatory in all cases, because the Qur’ān and Sunnah have commanded the expiation of ẓihār without any such distinction, and there is no evidence for dividing it into categories.
