How Can a Woman Perform the Expiation for Vitiating a Fast?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

How does a female before menopause expiate an obligatory fast she purposely broke? There is a monthly menstrual cycle going on every month for her that prevents her to fast two months consecutively. What option(s) does she have left?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

In the case that you (1) deliberately vitiated a Ramadan fast, by eating, drinking, or engaging in sexual relations, (2) knowingly, namely, whilst being aware that you were fasting, and (3) without any legally acceptable excuse, such as due to falling sick, you would need to perform the expiation (kaffara).

Abu Huraira (Allah be well pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) commanded a man who had deliberately eaten in the month of Ramadan to “fast two months consecutively.” [Muslim]

A menstruating lady would simply ensure that she fasts the day before and after her menstrual period. If she does this, her expiation would be valid and complete.

[‘Ala’ al-Din ‘Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-‘Ala’iyya (170)]

Please also see: How Many Expiations Do I Have to Perform for Nullifiying Fasts of Ramadan Over Several Years? and: My Menses Have Started in the Middle of My Expiation. What Should I Do?

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorized the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan, and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.