A woman asks: I owe the expiation of fasting a full month because I delayed making up the fasts for several years despite being able to do so, but I have fasted the full month and the expiation remains.

The questioner : This questioner from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia says she remembers that she owes the expiation of fasting a full month. She says, "Because I delayed making up the fasts for several years despite being able to do so, but I have fasted the full month, praise be to Allah, and the expiation remains. Do I give half a sa' for each day, so that each poor person receives half a sa', or do I give fifteen sa' at once to one family? I ask the honorable Shaykh for a rewarded answer."

The Shaykh : The stronger opinion in this issue, which is delaying the making up of Ramadan until the following Ramadan without an excuse, is that a person must seek forgiveness from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for the delay that occurred, and must perform the make-up fasts, but he owes no feeding. This is the stronger opinion because Allah the Exalted only obligated the traveler and the sick person a number of days equal to the days they broke their fast, and He said: and Allah the Exalted did not obligate anything other than the days they left fasting. However, it is not permissible for a person to delay the making up of Ramadan from the year 1440 AH to the year 1441 AH, based on the hadith of 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) "I used to have fasts to make up from Ramadan, and I could not make them up except in Sha'ban" . This indicates that it is not permissible to delay the make-up until after the second Ramadan, because if that were permissible, there would be no difference between after the second Ramadan and before it. And 'Aishah says: "and I could not make them up except in Sha'ban" . Accordingly, we say to this questioner: seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him for this delay, and you owe no feeding.