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

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

I paid fidya (compensation) for the whole of Ramadan, as my period dates are very unpredictable. I fasted for 15 days; then, I was not able to fast for 14 days due to my period. Do I still need to make up the 14 fasts, even though I paid fidya?

Answer

Thank you for your question. When a woman misses her fasts in Ramadan due to her menstruation, she does not pay fidya, not in advance nor after. She is obliged to make up these fasts, and she has the rest of the year until the next Ramadan to do so. If she does not make up her fasts before the next Ramadan begins, she is sinful.

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.

Please take a course on Absolute Essentials of Worship so that you can know your personally 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.