Darul Ifta Ibn Masood

Discharging Fidyah Due to Illness

· 14 Safar 1447 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

After being diagnosed with a chronic medical condition, I was advised by my Doctor not to fast consecutively as we do during Ramadhaan. Initially, I paid the Fidyah for the missed fasts of Ramadhaan but subsequently, my Doctor has permitted me to keep fasts intermittently. As a result, I have started fasting 2 days a week as recompense. Do these fasts qualify as Qadhaa or as Nafl?

Answer

In principle, if a person is unable to fast due to a chronic illness, he will be excused from fasting. If the person is expected to recover from such an illness, then it will be necessary to perform Qadhaa for each missed fast. However, if there no hope of recovery, then the Fidyah must be paid for every missed fast.

Accordingly, you should try to make Qadhaa of the fasts during winter when the days are shorter. If you are still unable to perform Qadhaa due to illness, only then must you pay the Fidyah for each fast that was missed.

The Fidyah amount is the same as the Sadaqatul Fitr amount, which is approximately R37.00 in cash in South Africa, or 1.6kg of wheat, or 3.2kg of barley.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

(منها المرض) المريض إذا خاف على نفسه التلف أو ذهاب عضو يفطر بالإجماع، وإن خاف زيادة العلة وامتدادها فكذلك عندنا)وعليه القضاء إذا أفطر كذا في المحيط. ثم معرفة ذلك باجتهاد المريض والاجتهاد غير مجرد الوهم بل هو غلبة (المحيط البرهاني3/361)

فصل في العوارض لمن خاف زيادة المرض، أو بطء البرء الفطر ولحامل ومرضع خافت نقصان العقل أو الهلال أو المرض على نفسها أو ولدها نسبا كان أو رضاعا، والخوف المعتبر ما كان مستندا لغلبة الظن بتجربة أو إخبار طبيب مسلم حاذق عدل، ولمن حصل له عطش شديد أو جوع يخاف منه الهلاك، وللمسافر الفطر (ثمرة النجاح ص613-615)

إذا وجب على الرجل القضاء بأن أفطر بعذر أو بغير عذر ولم يقض حتى عجز وصار شيخاً فانياً بحيث لا يرجى برؤه تجوز له الفدية وإنما تجوز له الفدية عن صوم هو أصل بنفسه وهو صوم رمضان عند وقوع اليأس عن القضاء يعطى لكل يوم نصف صاع من الحنطة ويجوز فيها ما يجوز في صدقة الفطر (فتاوى قاضيخان 1/99)

Answered by
Mufti Abdul Kader Fazlani
Checked & approved by
Mufti Yacoob Vally Saheb
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Source: Darul Ifta Ibn Masood — https://fataawa.co.za/discharging-fidyah-due-to-illness-2/
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/ibnmasood-39336

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