Ruling on Delaying Missed Fasts of Ramadan Until the Next Ramadan
Source: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
What should a person do if they had missed fasts of Ramadan but did not make them up until the next Ramadan began?
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)
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.
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 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
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
