She vowed to fast every month, but now she has grown old and is unable to fast. What is required of her?
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you well. Our sister says, in another case: I was ill when I was young, and my mother vowed to fast three days every month. Now my mother is old and cannot fast. Should I fast on her behalf, or is what she has already fasted sufficient, or is there an expiation for this vow? May Allah reward you with good. This burden is obligatory as long as one has the ability.
Answer:
As long as she is able to fast, she must fast to fulfill the vow. However, if she reaches an age where she is unable to fast, or if she suffers from a chronic illness that prevents her from fasting, then Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] and there is no vow for a person regarding what he does not control. So if she becomes unable to carry out this fasting, she owes nothing. And Allah knows best.
May Allah reward you with good and do you well. Our sister says, in another case: I was ill when I was young, and my mother vowed to fast three days every month. Now my mother is old and cannot fast. Should I fast on her behalf, or is what she has already fasted sufficient, or is there an expiation for this vow? May Allah reward you with good. This burden is obligatory as long as one has the ability.
Answer:
As long as she is able to fast, she must fast to fulfill the vow. However, if she reaches an age where she is unable to fast, or if she suffers from a chronic illness that prevents her from fasting, then Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 4493- نذرت الصيام من كل شهر والآن كبرت وعجزت عن الصيام فما يلزمها؟ - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.