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Fatwa CenterWhoever Is Able To Make Up For The Missed Fasts Should Not Resort To Other Solutions
Question
One of my relatives had reached the age of 65 by Ramadan 2000. Due to some health problems, he broke the fast for eight days and, owing to the same problems, he was not able to make up for the missed days. However, he gave a sum of money as charity (to feed a poor person for each day he failed to fast). In Ramadan 2001, he recovered and fasted the whole month. Now the question is: Is the money he gave in charity as compensation for the missed fast sufficient for clearing his liability concerning the eight missed days or is he still required to fast?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that none is worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and messenger.
It is obligatory for the one who was not able to fast Ramadan on account of sickness, travelling, or so on to make up the days he did not fast at any time he is able to fast throughout the year. If he is not able to make up for them until the next Ramadan comes, then he should make up for them after it and is not obliged to observe an expiation of feeding, and there is no sin on his part because he is not negligent. However, if he was able to make up for the missed fasts but did not do it until the next Ramadan came, then he is obliged to make up for the missed fasts and offer one poor person a mudd (two thirds of a kilogram) of food for each day as expiation. The feeding of the poor that your relative observed is not actually sufficient for making up for the missed fasts for the one whose inability to observe fast is ongoing. Therefore, the questioner should know that it is obligatory on the person who was sick in Ramadan and was unable to fast except in the next Ramadan to make up for the missed eight days, and he is not obliged to give food at all. The food that he gave is not actually sufficient for making up the missed fasts.
Allah Knows best.
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