One who delays making up fasts due to illness owes neither making up the fasts nor feeding the poor
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Question: My mother passed away, and she had five months of fasting to make up. I had her break her fast because she was breastfeeding her five children, and she was unable to fast during her lifetime as a result of suffering from numerous illnesses, such as diabetes and others. Despite this, she was determined to fast, and in fact, she began with eight days, but death overtook her. How is this to be made up on her behalf? And what must we do to make up the fasting for her?
Answer: As long as the delay occurred due to an inability to fast resulting from illnesses that followed one after another, or due to the breastfeeding she performed, then it is not obligatory for her to make up the fasts or feed the poor, because she was excused. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says: [al-Baqarah:185]. She did not reach the time to make them up, and she was capable of fasting, so it was dropped from her. Nothing is required of you, neither regarding the fasting nor regarding feeding the poor, if she was excused.
However, if you know that she was lax, and that she was not excused, but rather was able to make up the fasts, then it is prescribed that you make them up on her behalf. Even if you cooperate, with each of her children or relatives doing something, fasting days, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1147 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim from the hadith of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
So if you fast on her behalf, you will have a great reward, if in your belief she was negligent and lax. And if you feed the poor, the feeding suffices, but fasting is better; because of this authentic hadith, and because of what Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated with a sound chain from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that a woman said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "My mother died and she had fasting of Ramadan to make up. Should I fast on her behalf?" He said:Sahih al-Bukhari 7315.
This hadith, and the one before it, and what came in their meaning, all indicate that fasting is made up for the deceased, whether it was a vow, fasting of Ramadan, or fasting as expiation, according to the most correct of the statements of the scholars of knowledge. And if making up the fasts is not facilitated, feed one poor person for every day. This is all if the one who had the fasting to make up was negligent in making it up and was lax. But if he was excused by illness or similar from the legal excuses, then there is no feeding or fasting upon the heirs.
Answer: As long as the delay occurred due to an inability to fast resulting from illnesses that followed one after another, or due to the breastfeeding she performed, then it is not obligatory for her to make up the fasts or feed the poor, because she was excused. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:
and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days
وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَHowever, if you know that she was lax, and that she was not excused, but rather was able to make up the fasts, then it is prescribed that you make them up on her behalf. Even if you cooperate, with each of her children or relatives doing something, fasting days, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone dies in a state (that he had to complete) some fasts, his heir must fast on his behalf.
من مات وعليه صيام صام عنه وليهSo if you fast on her behalf, you will have a great reward, if in your belief she was negligent and lax. And if you feed the poor, the feeding suffices, but fasting is better; because of this authentic hadith, and because of what Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated with a sound chain from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that a woman said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "My mother died and she had fasting of Ramadan to make up. Should I fast on her behalf?" He said:
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: A woman came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "My mother vowed to perform the Hajj but she died before performing it. Should I perform the Hajj on her behalf?" He said, "Yes! Perform the Hajj on her behalf. See, if your mother had been in debt, would you have paid her debt?" She said, "Yes." He said, "So you should pay what is for Him as Allah has more right that one should fulfill one's obligations to Him. "
أرأيت لو كان على أمك دين أكنت قاضيته؟ اقضوا الله، فالله أحق بالوفاءThis hadith, and the one before it, and what came in their meaning, all indicate that fasting is made up for the deceased, whether it was a vow, fasting of Ramadan, or fasting as expiation, according to the most correct of the statements of the scholars of knowledge. And if making up the fasts is not facilitated, feed one poor person for every day. This is all if the one who had the fasting to make up was negligent in making it up and was lax. But if he was excused by illness or similar from the legal excuses, then there is no feeding or fasting upon the heirs.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.