Is there a duty of making up fasts or paying a ransom for an old man, an old woman, or a sick person whose recovery is not expected?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Another question.
The questioner : Yes, some of them also say this regarding the old manThe Shaykh : and the old woman, and the sick person whose recovery is not expected.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : They say that there is no duty of making up fasts for him and no ransom, because Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. So this person is unable, and the obligation is lifted from him, just as in the case of one who does not possess the minimum threshold for zakah. So what is your opinion, may Allah bless you? Or do we return to the verse itself?
The Shaykh : Without a doubt, this return is necessary. Then, if fasting is lifted from him due to his inability, does that necessitate that the ransom is also lifted from him, while he is not unable to pay it?
The questioner : It is not required.
The Shaykh : There is no connection.
The questioner : There is no connection.
The Shaykh : Yes, because His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):[Al-Baqarah 2:184] The Shaykh : The one who is unable and nearing death—we cannot say that fasting is impossible for him, but without a doubt, fasting is difficult for him.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Since the ransom is the alternative to fasting, there is nothing in our view that lifts the ransom from him due to his inability to fast.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : I recall that this opinion you mentioned is what al-Siddiq Hasan Khan held in *al-Rawdat al-Nadiyyah* in the past, and I do not know if his opinion settled on that. What appears to me, and Allah knows best, is that the ransom does not drop from the one who is able to pay it.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because it is obligatory for a Muslim who lives through Ramadan, in the atmosphere of fasting, to be with it either in action or in thought.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : By that I mean, in action, that he fasts; or in thought, that he pays the expiation for his fasting, so that he is living with the fasting people even if he is breaking the fast.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is what appears to me, and Allah knows best.
The questioner: May Allah reward you with good, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And beware of yourself.
The questioner : Yes, some of them also say this regarding the old manThe Shaykh : and the old woman, and the sick person whose recovery is not expected.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : They say that there is no duty of making up fasts for him and no ransom, because Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. So this person is unable, and the obligation is lifted from him, just as in the case of one who does not possess the minimum threshold for zakah. So what is your opinion, may Allah bless you? Or do we return to the verse itself?
The Shaykh : Without a doubt, this return is necessary. Then, if fasting is lifted from him due to his inability, does that necessitate that the ransom is also lifted from him, while he is not unable to pay it?
The questioner : It is not required.
The Shaykh : There is no connection.
The questioner : There is no connection.
The Shaykh : Yes, because His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):
And upon those who are able
وعلى الذين يطيقونهThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Since the ransom is the alternative to fasting, there is nothing in our view that lifts the ransom from him due to his inability to fast.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : I recall that this opinion you mentioned is what al-Siddiq Hasan Khan held in *al-Rawdat al-Nadiyyah* in the past, and I do not know if his opinion settled on that. What appears to me, and Allah knows best, is that the ransom does not drop from the one who is able to pay it.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because it is obligatory for a Muslim who lives through Ramadan, in the atmosphere of fasting, to be with it either in action or in thought.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : By that I mean, in action, that he fasts; or in thought, that he pays the expiation for his fasting, so that he is living with the fasting people even if he is breaking the fast.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is what appears to me, and Allah knows best.
The questioner: May Allah reward you with good, our Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And beware of yourself.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.