Ruling on Making Up Fasts on Behalf of a Sick Person Who Died During Ramadan
Source: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
❖ Question
A sick person did not fast in Ramadan and passed away four days after Ramadan began. Should the missed fasts be made up on their behalf?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʿamma baʿd!
If a person became afflicted with an illness that began suddenly and continued throughout the beginning of Ramadan until their death, then in such a case:
➡ There is no obligation to make up the missed fasts on their behalf.
This ruling is based on the statement of Allah the Exalted:
﴿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)
According to this verse, if someone is ill and unable to fast during Ramadan, they are required to make up those missed fasts later on.
However, in the case where a person does not live long enough after Ramadan to have the opportunity to make up those fasts — and passes away while still in the state of illness — then:
✔ The obligation of making up the fasts is lifted.
✔ It is as if a person passed away in Shaʿbān; clearly, they would not be liable for the fasts of the upcoming Ramadan.
❖ In the Case of a Chronic Illness
If the illness is chronic and there is no hope of recovery, then the ruling of the Sharīʿah is:
✔ The person should feed one poor person for each missed fast as compensation.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
