Breaking fasts/not fasting without a valid reason

[jimbo123]

Salams,

I think my past is coming back to haunt me.

In the past few years I have been quite practising praying, giving zakaat and keeping fasts etc. I am not perfect but I'm slowly improving. When I was in my early teens I remember that there were some fasts that I didn't keep. There were also some cases were I couldn't handle the fast and broke it. It is very shameful.

This was all such a long time ago that I didn't think much of it. I read somewhere that if you break a fast like this you have to feed 60 people for each day a fast was broken or you have to fast 60 consecutive days? How do I do this if I don't know how many fasts I broke in my younger years?

 

[Salahudeen]

Are you sure? I wasn't aware that there was an expiation if you broke your fast, I thought you only had to do that if you broke it by having intercourse with your wife. And you have to make the day up if you break it by eating I'll try find out for you.

 

[Hamza Asadullah]

Salams,

I think my past is coming back to haunt me.

In the past few years I have been quite practising praying, giving zakaat and keeping fasts etc. I am not perfect but I'm slowly improving. When I was in my early teens I remember that there were some fasts that I didn't keep. There were also some cases were I couldn't handle the fast and broke it. It is very shameful.

This was all such a long time ago that I didn't think much of it. I read somewhere that if you break a fast like this you have to feed 60 people for each day a fast was broken or you have to fast 60 consecutive days? How do I do this if I don't know how many fasts I broke in my younger years?

Asalaamu alaikum, if you broke fasts in the past by eating or drinking then you need to do a kaffarah fast of 60 days in a row without having a break.

This is only if you broke any fast in the past by eating or drinking. Fasts broken by masterbation do carry an expation but just have to be made up.

Unintentionally having intercourse with wife will not break fast or necessitate kaffarah but intentionally having intercourse knowing one is fasting will neccessitate both making up the fast and kaffarah.

So you should try and calculate as conservatively as possible to the nearest number all the fasts you broke or missed from puberty until the present day.

Then you fast the 60 fasts and all the fasts you missed. There is only one kaffarah no matter how many fasts you broke in the past.

The 60 fasts MUST be done in a row with no breaks. For women they can stop and resume after menses.

If you need anymore help then please do not hesitate to ask.

 

[jimbo123]

So does that mean if I broke 6 fasts I have to fast for 360 days?

 

[Hamza Asadullah]

So does that mean if I broke 6 fasts I have to fast for 360 days?

Brother if you read my post carefully I have stated that no matter how many fasts you broke by eating or drinking you only do one kaffarrah. So you only fast 60 fasts in a row once and however many fasts you need to make up for.

So if you broke 6 fasts in your life by eating or drinking then you fast 60 days in a row as compensation and then another 6 fasts to make up for the 6 you missed and these 6 do not have to be done in a row but the 60 have to be done in a row.

If whilst you are fasting the 60 and you become ill then you will have to fast start again until you have reached 60 in a row.

 

[jimbo123]

Oh I see well that's a relief! Paying is another option as well isn't it? My lifestyle and job can be quite physically demanding.

 

[Hamza Asadullah]

Oh I see well that's a relief! Paying is another option as well isn't it? My lifestyle and job can be quite physically demanding.

It is only an option if you can't physically fast due to a long term illness but that is not the case with you so you will have to fast.

And Allah knows best in all matters

 

[jimbo123]

Salams, sorry for the late response. Ramadan finishes around September 1st but I leave for Hajj on the 28th October. How to work around this, is it best to fast afterwards?

Also, what is the best way to work around the shame of performing Kaffarah? Somebody is bound to notice that I'm not eating my meals!

 

[Hamza Asadullah]

Salams, sorry for the late response. Ramadan finishes around September 1st but I leave for Hajj on the 28th October. How to work around this, is it best to fast afterwards?

Also, what is the best way to work around the shame of performing Kaffarah? Somebody is bound to notice that I'm not eating my meals!

Mashallah may Allah increase you and accept your pilgrimage to the best place in the Universe. Next month you should try to make up for the fasts you missed from puberty until now and then after you come back from Hajj soon after it will be winter time where the time for opening fast will be very early so not many people will notice you miss meals. So do your kaffarah in the winter inshallah.

 

[Yanal]

Salams,

I think my past is coming back to haunt me.

In the past few years I have been quite practising praying, giving zakaat and keeping fasts etc. I am not perfect but I'm slowly improving. When I was in my early teens I remember that there were some fasts that I didn't keep. There were also some cases were I couldn't handle the fast and broke it. It is very shameful.

This was all such a long time ago that I didn't think much of it. I read somewhere that if you break a fast like this you have to feed 60 people for each day a fast was broken or you have to fast 60 consecutive days? How do I do this if I don't know how many fasts I broke in my younger years?

Asalam alaikum,

Since your previous fasts have been rendered void without any justification then yes you are required to compensate it in two ways,either by fasting for 60 consecutive days or you can feed 60 poor men if you are for whichever reason not able to fast for the 60 days. If you are unable to do both for whatever circumstance you are in then you should feel penitence for what you've done.I believe that this is the best way of making amends.

If you have any other questions regarding anything,please don't be afraid to ask.Insha'Allah may Allah bless all of us and our families with his blessings,ameen.