Ruling on Missed Fasts Due to Continuous Illness
Reference: Ahkam wa Masail, Fasting Issues, Vol. 1, Page 289
❖ Question:
A person became ill during the previous Ramadan and has remained in the same illness until now. He could not fast that Ramadan and even at present is unable to fast due to his illness.
Now the questions are:
◈ What should he do about those missed fasts?
◈ Can someone else fast on his behalf?
◈ Should he feed thirty needy persons?
◈ Or prepare food for thirty people and distribute it in the way of Allah?
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
◈ Guidance from the Qur’an
Allah ﷻ says in the Qur’an:
﴿وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٖ فَعِدَّةٞ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَۗ﴾
[Al-Baqarah: 185]
“And whoever is ill or on a journey, then let them complete the same number of days later.”
From this verse:
◈ If the sick person recovers, he must make up the missed fasts later, regardless of whether they were from one Ramadan or several.
◈ But if he does not recover and dies in that state, then his wali (close relative) should fast on his behalf for the missed days.
◈ Guidance from the Hadith
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī it is narrated:
«مَنْ مَاتَ وَعَلَيْهِ صِيَامٌ صَامَ عَنْهُ وَلِيُّهُ»
[Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṣawm, Bāb Man Māta Wa ʿAlayhi Ṣawm]
“Whoever dies while having fasts due, his wali should fast on his behalf.”
The statement of the Prophet ﷺ and the mentioned Qur’anic verse are both clear in their ruling.
◈ On Giving Charity Voluntarily
If a sick person, out of goodwill, wishes to feed the poor for reward, then this act is meritorious and its reward is preserved with Allah.
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيۡرٗا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ﴾
[Al-Baqarah: 158]
“And whoever does good voluntarily, then indeed Allah is Appreciative and All-Knowing.”
◈ Summary of the Ruling
✔ As long as the sick person has hope of recovery, qadāʾ (making up the fasts) remains obligatory.
✔ If he is permanently ill with no hope of recovery, he should give fidya — i.e., feed one needy person for each missed fast.
✔ If he dies while fasts are due, his wali (close relative) should fast on his behalf.
✔ Feeding the poor voluntarily is a virtuous deed, but it cannot replace qadāʾ or fidya unless there is a valid Sharʿī excuse.
Hādhā mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam biṣ-ṣawāb.
