" Ramadan " No comments

 What is “kaffarah for fasting”?

What is “kaffarah for fasting”? How and when is it paid?

Answer:

Kaffarah for fasting is offering expiation of a Muslim who breaks his fast during Ramadan intentionally without a justifiable reason. Kaffarah for fasting is paid through three options:

1. To free a Muslim or non-Muslim slave

2. (If he is not able to offer the first option, then) To fast for 2 consecutive months.

3. (If he is not able to offer the second option either,) To feed 60 poor people two meals a day.

 

According to Hanafi and Shafi school of thought, it is necessary to watch out the order above while offering kaffarah. However, Maliki school of thought takes the view that to watch out the order is not necessary. A Muslim may choose one of the options to pay his kaffarah.

 

 

Feeding the poor is possible by both hosting for meals or supplying and giving food. The feature of the poor is to be hungry and to have reached or to be close to puberty. Besides, the food must be enough to satisfy their hunger.

 

While offering kaffarah through fast, it must be performed successively, one after the other. So, whoever starts kaffarah fasting, he fasts for two successive months without missing any day in between. If he abandons fasting before completing two months with any reason,  he re-starts fasting the two months. Menstruation period is excluded from disrupting the consecutive duration, because it is impossible for women to abstain from this period. Even Ramadan fast and the days of eid are obstacles to kaffarah, they interrupt the consecutiveness.

 

According to the valid view, if a Muslim breaks his Ramadan fast deliberately without a justifiable reason for a few times (in one Ramadan or in a few Ramadans), he just pays kaffarah for once. Because “kaffarah” is mainly a penalty for breaking fast and one penalty is enough for few mistakes of which the reasons are the same. However, if breaking the fast intentionally is repeated after paying the kaffarah, a new kaffarah is required. Because this repeating the mistake indicates that the first penalty hasn’t been sufficient to teach a lesson.

 

 

(Great Islamic Jurisprudence, Omar Nasuhi Bilmen) Kaynak: http://askaquestionto.us - What is “kaffarah for fasting”?