She placed a blanket on her child due to the severe cold, and he died as a result
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Fatwa number ( 20460 )
Q: My wife, on one of the cold nights while we were in the desert, covered our small son, who was seven months old, with a blanket to protect him from the cold. When she went to him, she found him dead, suffocated. She did not intend this, for he is her son and the apple of her eye. We ask: is there anything required of her? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you. And if fasting becomes obligatory upon her and her menstrual period arrives, what should she do?
A: If your wife placed the blanket on the child’s face and this resulted in his death by suffocation, then she owes an expiation, which is freeing a slave. If she cannot find one, she must fast for two consecutive months (sixty days). If her menstrual period comes during the fasting, she breaks her fast, then resumes fasting after she becomes pure until she completes the sixty days. However, if she did not place the blanket on his face, she owes nothing, because she did not cause his death. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: My wife, on one of the cold nights while we were in the desert, covered our small son, who was seven months old, with a blanket to protect him from the cold. When she went to him, she found him dead, suffocated. She did not intend this, for he is her son and the apple of her eye. We ask: is there anything required of her? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you. And if fasting becomes obligatory upon her and her menstrual period arrives, what should she do?
A: If your wife placed the blanket on the child’s face and this resulted in his death by suffocation, then she owes an expiation, which is freeing a slave. If she cannot find one, she must fast for two consecutive months (sixty days). If her menstrual period comes during the fasting, she breaks her fast, then resumes fasting after she becomes pure until she completes the sixty days. However, if she did not place the blanket on his face, she owes nothing, because she did not cause his death. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.