Hadith 2401

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ ، عَنْ أَبِي حُصَيْنٍ ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ ، عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ، قَالَ : " إِذَا مَرِضَ الرَّجُلُ فِي رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يَصُمْ أُطْعِمَ عَنْهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ قَضَاءٌ ، وَإِنْ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ نَذْرٌ قَضَى عَنْهُ وَلِيُّهُ " .
Narrated Ibn Abbas: If a man falls ill during Ramadan and he dies, while he could not keep the fast, food will be provided (for the poor men) on his behalf ; there is no atonement (for his fasts) due from him. If there is some vow which he could not fulfill, his heir must atone on his behalf.
Hadith Reference سنن ابي داود / كتاب الصيام / 2401
Hadith Grading الألبانی: صحيح  |  زبیر علی زئی: ضعيف, إسناده ضعيف, الثوري عنعن, انوار الصحيفه، صفحه نمبر 89
Hadith Takhrij « تفرد بہ أبو داود (صحیح) »
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
➊ The general scholars of hadith hold the view that if there are remaining fasts upon a deceased person, then his guardian should observe the fasts on his behalf.

➋ Abdullah ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) and some other scholars state that in obligatory acts, no one can act as a deputy for another. If a sick person did not deliberately neglect (the obligation) and passed away, then nothing is required of the guardian except to feed (the poor). However, the matter of a vow (nazr) is more stringent because a person has made it obligatory upon himself by his own choice; for this reason, it has also been described as a debt owed to Allah.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 2401