Question:
What is the expiation (kaffarah) for fasting?
Answer:
The expiation for breaking a fast is to free a slave; if one is not able to do that, then to fast consecutively for two months; if one is not able to do that, then to feed sixty poor people.
Question:
Is it permissible to give the expiation amount directly to the poor?
Answer:
It is permissible.
Question:
If a fire breaks out in a house and some people break their fast, what is the ruling?
Answer:
They are required to make up (qada) the fast.
Question:
If one feeds a poor student for two months as expiation, will the expiation be fulfilled or not?
Answer:
It will be fulfilled.
Question:
Is it appropriate to use the expiation money for building a mosque or madrasa?
Answer:
It is not correct; the students of the madrasa should be fed.
Question:
Will the expiation for fasting be forgiven by repentance and seeking forgiveness or not?
Answer:
It is necessary to perform the expiation; it will not be forgiven by repentance alone.
Question:
What should one do if they do not have the means to pay the expiation?
Answer:
When one is able, they should pay the expiation.
Question:
Can Kaffarah (expiation) for fasting be paid by taking a loan?
Answer:
Yes.
Question:
How is it to feed ten poor people for six days as Kaffarah food?
Answer:
It is permissible.
Question:
If minor children eat the Kaffarah food, will the Kaffarah be fulfilled?
Answer:
If minor poor and needy children eat the Kaffarah food, then the Kaffarah will be fulfilled.
Question:
If a person fasts for one month as Kaffarah and feeds thirty poor people, will the Kaffarah be fulfilled this way?
Answer:
The Kaffarah will not be fulfilled this way. He should fast two consecutive months; if he is unable, then he should feed sixty poor people.
Question:
If someone was fasting for Kaffarah but missed one fast due to illness, should he start counting the Kaffarah fasts again or continue from where he left off?
Answer:
It is necessary to fast two consecutive months for Kaffarah. However, if a fast is missed due to a valid excuse such as illness or travel, there is no harm; he should complete the remaining fasts. But if a fast is missed without a valid excuse, the Kaffarah must be started from the beginning.
Question:
What should one do if Eid-ul-Adha comes in between the fasts of Kaffarah?
Answer:
One should break the fasts on the days of Eid and the days of Tashreeq, because fasting on these days is not permissible, and then complete the remaining fasts afterwards.
Question:
How is it to observe voluntary fasts during the days of Tashreeq?
Answer:
It is not permissible to observe voluntary fasts during the days of Tashreeq.
The Companion Nabi Sha Hazli (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
أيام التشريق أيام أكل وشرب
“The days of Tashreeq are days of eating and drinking.”
❀ Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him)
states:
اتفق العلماء على أنه لا يجوز أن يتطوع بصومها
“There is consensus among the scholars that it is not permissible to fast voluntarily during the days of Tashreeq.”
Warning:
It is also forbidden to fast voluntarily on the days of the two Eids.
❀ Hafiz Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him)
states:
اتفق العلماء على أنه لا يجوز لأحد أن يتطوع بالصوم في يومي العيد
“There is consensus among the scholars that it is not permissible for anyone to fast voluntarily on the days of the two Eids.”
Question:
Should sixty poor people be fed two meals or one meal?
Answer:
They should be fed one meal of moderate quality.
