One who broke her fast due to menstruation and did not make it up for several years

Question: I am a girl who started menstruating at the age of 14, and I was too shy to tell my mother about it. So, after Ramadan, I did not make up the days I owed, knowing that this was 11 years ago. What is the ruling in this matter? I am married now. My periods were irregular; they would come for one month and then stop for three or four months. The point is, I do not remember whether I menstruated during all the Ramadans when I was a girl or not. What should I do?

Answer: You must make up all the days you did not fast after your period started, along with repentance and seeking forgiveness, and feeding one poor person half a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) for each day, which amounts to one and a half kilograms of the local staple food. All of this is to be given to some of the poor; because when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, she becomes accountable, and prayer and fasting become obligatory for her, even if she is under the age of fifteen.