Can I Pay Fidya for Missed Ramadan Fasts Due to Menstruation?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I compensated for the entire Ramadan with fidya because my period dates are unpredictable. I fasted for 15 days but then missed 14 days due to my period.

Do I still have to make up those 14 fasts despite paying fidya?

Answer

Thank you for your question.

Can I Pay Fidya?

When a woman misses her fasts in Ramadan due to her menstruation, she does not pay fidya in advance or after. She is obliged to make up these fasts, and she has the rest of the year until the next Ramadan to do so. She is sinful if she does not make up her fasts before the next Ramadan begins.

Your Case

As for your personal situation, you said that you did not fast for 14 days, and then your period started again. In the Shafi‘i school, you must have 15 days of purity even if the next period starts up one day early. You should have still fasted and prayed on the 15th day and considered yourself in istihada (abnormal discharge) for that day. You will need to make up that one day of prayers.

Recommendation

Please take a course on Absolute Essentials of Worship to know your obligatory knowledge and arm yourself with knowledge for future questions. May Allah reward you.

Related: Should a Woman Fast During Her Menstruation?

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.