Question
(#009)
Assalamualaikum. I have one kidney. I still have a lot of pain where I had operation. I cannot stand up more than five minutes. My question is should I fast in Ramadhan or should I give Fidyah?
Answer
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
حامدا و مصليا و مسلما
Muhtaram
We have received your query with regards to Fidyah, our response is as follows:
If a person is extremely ill1, and fasting will aggravate his illness, or recovery from the illness will be prolonged and a reliable pious Muslim doctor advises him not to fast, then Shari’ah has allowed one to leave out the fast. However, he cannot give Fidyah for those fasts as he will be required to keep Qadha as soon as he recovers from the illness. Hence, if he recovers from his illness and has the strength to keep the fasts, he will have to keep the Qadha. If he does not keep the Qadha after recovery, he will have to make Wasiyyah (bequest) for Fidyah to be paid2.
If a person is extremely ill1, and fasting will aggravate his illness, or recovery from the illness will be prolonged and a reliable pious Muslim doctor advises him not to fast, then Shari’ah has allowed one to leave out the fast. However, he cannot give Fidyah for those fasts as he will be required to keep Qadha as soon as he recovers from the illness. Hence, if he recovers from his illness and has the strength to keep the fasts, he will have to keep the Qadha. If he does not keep the Qadha after recovery, he will have to make Wasiyyah (bequest) for Fidyah to be paid2.
However, if there is no hope of being cured and he remains despondent till death with regards to regaining enough strength to fast and even in the short winter days he does not have the strength to fast then he will be required to pay a monetary compensation known as Fidyah.1 Now in place of each fast, one will have to give a poor person the amount stipulated for Sadaqatul Fitr1. One may give the grain itself or the equivalent value, however it is better to give the value rather than the grain itself.
And Allah Ta’ala knows best
(Mufti) Muhammad Irshad Motara
9th Ramadan 1441
2nd May 2020
رد المحتار، جـ 2، صـ 427
فتاوي هندية، جـ 1، صـ 207.
