Kaffarah

1. The kaffarah for breaking the fast of Ramadaan is that the person must fast for two consecutive months. It is not permissible to keep a few fasts, stop fasting for a few days, and recommence fasting. If for some reason or the other, one or two fasts in-between are missed out, then the fast for two months will have to be restarted. However, the fasts that a woman misses due to her monthly haid, are forgiven. By not fasting on these days, no harm is caused to the kaffarah. However, once she is purified from her haid, she should immediately recommence with the fasting and complete the sixty days.

2. If a few fasts are missed because of nifaas, and the full sixty days could not be kept consecutively, the kaffarah will still not be correct. The fasts will have to be started all over again.

3. If a few fasts of kaffarah are missed due to some problem or sickness, even then the fasts will have to be re-started once the person is cured from that sickness.

4. If the month of Ramadaan comes in-between the kaffarah fasts, the kaffarah will not be valid.

5. If a person does not have the strength to keep the fasts, he should feed sixty poor persons twice a day with a full meal. They must be allowed to eat as much as possible.

6. If there are a few children included among these poor persons, this will not be permissible. One will have to feed additional poor persons in place of these children.

7. If there is bread made of wheat, it is permissible to feed it to them even if it is dry. If the bread is made of barley, millet, corn, etc. they should also be given some gravy with which they could eat the bread.

8. If the person does not feed them with any food, but instead he gives grain to sixty poor persons, this will also be permissible. He should give each poor person grain equal to the value of sadaqatul fitr (which is approximately one and a half to two kilos of wheat). Rules concerning sadaqatul fitr will Insha Allah be discussed in the chapter on zakaat.

9. It is also permissible to give money equal to the value of the grain.

10. If a person asks someone else to fulfil this kaffarah on his behalf by feeding sixty poor persons and the person fulfils his request or he gives the grain, the kaffarah will be fulfilled. But if the person gives the kaffarah without being asked to do so, it will not be valid.

11. If a person feeds one poor person for sixty days every morning and evening, or continues giving him grain for the next sixty days, or gives him money that equals the value of that grain, the kaffarah will be valid.

12. If the person did not feed the poor person for sixty consecutive days, but missed out a few days in between, there is no harm in this. This is also permissible (as long as he completes the sixty days).

13. If a person gives the poor person grain that will last him for sixty days at one time, the kaffarah will not be valid. Similarly, if he gives one poor person sixty times in one day, it will still be regarded as giving for one day only. He will then have to give to 59 additional poor persons. The same rule applies when giving money. That is, it is not permissible to give money to one poor person in one day as a compensation for more than one fast.

14. If he gives a poor person kaffarah that is less than the sadaqatul fitr, the kaffarah will not be valid.

15. If a person breaks a few fasts in the same Ramadaan, only one kaffarah will be wajib. But if two fasts are for the Ramadaans of two different years, he will have to give kaffarah for each fast.