Is it permissible for a woman to engage in voluntary fasting and delay making up the fasts of Ramadan until winter?

Abu Layla : My teacher, a woman has a full month of fasting in Ramadan that she owes, meaning it is a debt. But currently, she fasts on Mondays and Thursdays as voluntary fasts, and she postpones this month of fasting until winter so that she can complete it. Is this action permissible?

The Shaykh : Yes, if she takes the sunnah, may Allah make her live for the days of winter. There is an athar from some of the Companions, and I think it is from Abu Bakr, that “Allah does not accept a voluntary act until the obligatory one is performed.” This athar is not a hadith, but we give weight to such an athar for two reasons: first, it comes from... well, Abu Hudhayfah, I am content with what I see—ma sha Allah—what do you think? Do you see it as sufficient? This is evidence of arrogance in knowledge, but the problem is that it is clear to you, O Abu Hudhayfah, that your enemy is strong; because the one who keeps you away, we know, is a pillar, steadfast in its eagerness for seeking knowledge, yet it still diverts you. This is evidence of the strength of your enemy. [Laughter]The Shaykh : (may Allah have mercy on him)—if he is the one who distracted you, I apologize to you. Yes, “Allah does not accept a voluntary act until the obligatory one is performed.” I say that we give weight to this athar and it has considerable value with us for two reasons: the first is that it is the opinion of a Companion, and the second is that it is the opinion of a person who, after the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), was foremost in virtue, knowledge, and understanding. So this athar, which came from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), in the absence of anything stronger than it, namely a hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) by nature, we give it weight and prefer it over the opinion of anyone other than this speaker, who is Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. So we say: a woman has days of Ramadan to make up, and she occupies herself with fasting six days of Shawwal, and postpones making up what she owes from Ramadan. This is a grave error; because she is drawing near to Allah with what Allah has not made obligatory upon her, and neglecting what Allah has made obligatory upon her. And what motivates her to do so is a grave, ideological, cognitive sin: that I will make up what I owe in the short days of winter. Well, are you taking a signature from the Lord of the Worlds that He will postpone you until the days of winter, and that you will be in good health and will have free time, so that you can console yourself and wish that I am now gaining the virtue of the six days, and then you will make up what you owe from Ramadan? Therefore, we make it obligatory for such a woman to hasten to make up what she owes from Ramadan, and postpone making up the six days of Shawwal if the opportunity presents itself. And if we assume that the opportunity does not present itself, in any case, she is the winner; because she performed the obligatory and missed the voluntary. Where is the loss? The loss is the opposite. But as many of the attendees know, we say that if a person enters the mosque and has performed wudu, he may perform one act of worship, two rak'ahs, with three intentions: the intention of greeting the mosque, the intention of the sunnah of wudu, and the intention of the sunnah of the time. If we assume that this act, which is the prayer of two rak'ahs, is recorded for him with the least reward promised to the Muslims, in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): to the end of the hadith. If we assume that the least recorded for a good deed is written for him, which is ten good deeds, then this person who prayed two rak'ahs with three intentions is written for him, instead of ten good deeds, twelve good deeds: ten good deeds for the act, and two good deeds for the mere intention, the intention of the sunnah of wudu and the intention of the sunnah of the time. But the better of this is that he prays six rak'ahs. But by Allah, I am not eager to pray six rak'ahs, as they say in our region in Sham, “the filling of a kibbeh,” so I want the lightest of deeds, the lightest of deeds. Now you have one of two images: that you pray two rak'ahs as greeting the mosque; because it is obligatory for us, and you do not pray the sunnah of the time. This is the first image. The second image: since you do not want to add to two rak'ahs, add to the intention of greeting the mosque the intention of the sunnah of the time, and then it is written for you eleven good deeds. This is it. So this woman, or any person, male or female, who is ill, has days of Ramadan to make up, he performs what he owes from Ramadan. And if he is not able to fast six days of Shawwal purely for the six days of Shawwal, at least he intends with the making up the six days of Shawwal, and it is written for him an additional good deed from each day. This is what we see in such a case.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, the issue is shared; because you said there is no specific place, meaning the rule.

The Shaykh : I do not think that the thing being asked about is what we said just now, but clarify it for us.

The questioner : I asked you where we find it in the books that the intention is shared with this obligatory fard, and I said, by Allah, it does not come to mind in a specific place, but I took it from the general texts.

The Shaykh : This is what I mentioned just now.
Al-Halabi, meaning .

The Shaykh : Yes, that is it.

The questioner : ...
Al-Halabi : Just a little, on the same topic.

The Shaykh : No, let him go; because it is clear that he is an orphan, meaning he did not ask. [The student brothers laugh]