Prayer TimesAllah the Almighty says in the Qur'an:
"Fasting is prescribed for a limited number of days. But if any of you is ill or on a journey, then let him fast an equal number of days later. For those who can only fast with difficulty (such as the elderly or those with chronic illness), they must feed a poor person (two meals per day for each day missed, or its equivalent in money) as compensation." (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:184).
If a person's illness or weakness is temporary and causes hardship in fasting, they should make up the missed fasts after Ramadan. It is not necessary to make up the missed fasts consecutively; they can be made up separately or together, as convenient. If one is unable to make up the fasts before the next Ramadan, they may do so afterwards.
However, those suffering from incurable diseases such as tuberculosis, cancer, diabetes, stomach ulcers, asthma, or chronic heart and lung conditions, as well as elderly people who are unable to fast, are not required to fast. Instead, they must pay fidya (compensation) for each missed day of fasting during Ramadan.
Fidya is the equivalent of providing two meals (breakfast and dinner) for a poor person per day. This year, the amount has been set at 2500 tenge per day. If someone cannot afford to pay fidya, they are excused from this obligation and should seek forgiveness from Allah. If the sick person later recovers or the elderly person regains strength, the previous excuse is no longer valid and any fidya paid is nullified (al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 1/227). In this case, they must make up the missed fasts.
If a person is unable to make up missed Ramadan fasts before death, they should leave instructions for fidya to be paid from one third of their estate (al-Mufassal fi al-Fiqh al-Hanafi, 286). Fidya should be distributed to the poor and needy.
Prepared by Hasan AMANKUL
"Munara" newspaper, No.7, 2021
This content was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor.