Can a Woman Give Expiatory Charity (Fidya) If Her Fasts Exceed 200?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Is a woman required to make up missed fasts due to menstruation and breastfeeding, even if they exceed 200 fasts, or can she pay an expiatory charity (fidya)?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
If a woman misses her obligatory fasts due to breastfeeding or menstruation, she must make them up, even if they are many. [Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]
The expiatory charity (fidya) is only permitted for those who missed their fasts due to sickness or old age, so they will not be able to make up the missed fasts due to that sickness and/or old age. [Ibid.]
Changing Perceptions
Understandably, making up 200-plus fasts is overwhelming and difficult. However, it is essential to realize that these fasts, even if they are make-up fasts, are amongst the most beloved acts and the most profound of them in drawing one to Allah Most High.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) narrates from Allah Most High: “My servant has not drawn near to me with anything more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory on them (…).” [Bukhari]
Advice
To the best of your ability, try to determine the number of fasts you have missed over the years. Add to that number a little more to ensure it is sufficient. Make the intention to slowly chip away at these fasts until you make them all up. Strive to make up a certain amount monthly that you are able to do consistently, even if it be only a few.
Remember that each fast is a means of you drawing near to Allah Most High and for you to raise in ranks in the Hereafter.
Related:
Can I Pay Fidya for Missed Days of Fasting Due to Menses?
Brief Overview of Expiatory Payments (Fidya)
Can My Sister Pay Expiatory Payments (Fidya) For Missed Fasts Due To Her Diabetes?
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
