Ruling on Delaying Missed Fasts of Ramadan Until the Next Ramadan
Source: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
❖ Question
What should a person do if they had missed fasts of Ramadan but did not make them up until the next Ramadan began?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʿamma baʿd!
Allah the Exalted has stated:
﴿وَمَن كانَ مَريضًا أَو عَلى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِن أَيّامٍ أُخَرَ﴾
“And whoever is ill or on a journey – then (he shall fast) the same number of days (later) from other days.”
(Sūrat al-Baqarah, Āyah: 185)
✦ Responsibility of One Who Missed Ramadan Fasts
If a person misses Ramadan fasts due to a valid Shar‘i excuse (such as illness or travel), it is obligatory upon them to:
✔ Make up (Qaḍā’) those missed fasts in obedience to Allah’s command.
✔ Ensure that this compensation is done within the same year, before the next Ramadan arrives.
❖ Practice of ʿĀʾishah (RA)
ʿĀʾishah (RA) stated:
«کَانَ يَکُونُ عَلَیَّ الصَّوْمُ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ فَمَا أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَقْضِيهَ إِلَّا فِی شَعْبَانَ»
“I used to have missed fasts from Ramadan, and I would not be able to make them up except in Shaʿbān.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb aṣ-Ṣawm, Bāb Matā Yuqḍā Qaḍāʾ aṣ-Ṣawm, Ḥadīth: 1950)
ʿĀʾishah (RA) would delay due to being occupied in the service of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
From her statement, it becomes clear that:
✅ Making up missed fasts before the next Ramadan is necessary.
❖ If the Fast is Delayed Beyond the Next Ramadan
If a person delays the missed fasts until after the next Ramadan:
✔ They must repent and seek forgiveness from Allah.
✔ They should express remorse over the delay.
✔ They are still obligated to make up the missed fasts.
✔ The responsibility is not lifted merely due to the delay.
Hence, even after the next Ramadan, it remains obligatory to perform the missed fasts.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
