A woman who broke her fast in Ramadan for a valid religious excuse seven years ago and has not made it up: what is required of her now?

Question:
I did not fast seven days of Ramadan due to a valid religious excuse, and seven years have passed since then. Is it obligatory for me to make them up, or what? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Making up the fasts is necessary, even if it is delayed for several years, as long as you turn to making them up, it is obligatory. As for the delay from the first Ramadan, if this delay was due to a continuing excuse, then making up the fasts is sufficient. But if it was an excuse that was merely the result of laziness or indifference, then it is obligatory to feed a poor person for each day, in addition to making up the fasts. That is half a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of food for each day, which you give to a poor person. If you combine, for example, the charity for all the days and give it to one poor person, is that sufficient? Or to several poor people? The important thing is that if the delay was without a valid excuse, then two things are obligatory upon you—rather, three things are obligatory upon you. The first is repentance to Allah and seeking forgiveness for what happened. The second is making up the fasts. The third is feeding a poor person for each day of the delay. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.