The Ultimate Guide to Giving Your Fidya and Kaffarah in Ramadan
During Ramadan, Muslims frequently ask about what is Fidya and what is Kaffarah. While we prepare to fast in Ramadan, having knowledge of these obligations is also essential for everyone. If you are unable to fast due to some valid reason or if you intentionally break your fast, this guide to Fidya and Kaffarah will answer all your concerns, ensuring you can fulfill your duty to Allah (SWT) while also supporting those in need.
What is Fidya?
If you are unable to fast due to a valid reason according to Shariah, you are obligated to pay Fidya in Ramadan. These genuine reasons include chronic illness, old age, or any permanent disability. Instead of fasting in any of such conditions, you can provide meals or their equivalent cost to the poor and needy.
For those wondering what is Fidya and how much one needs to pay, this article provides a comprehensive guide to address all your concerns.
What is Kaffarah?
Kaffarah is a form of compensation for deliberately breaking one's fast without a valid reason. To make up for breaking this fast, you need to fast for 60 days. If you are unable to do so, you are then required to pay Kaffarah. Unlike Fidya, Kaffarah requires more sacrifice and effort as the fast is broken intentionally.
Key Differences Between Kaffarah and Fidya
The key differences between Kaffarah and Fidya is explained as:
- Fidya applies when fasting is impossible due to a valid reason, i.e. any illness, old age, or long-term disability.
- Kaffarah is required to be paid if someone intentionally breaks the fast during Ramadan.
- The compensation for not being able to fast for a valid reason is considered to be feeding one person in need for each missed fast.
- Kaffarah requires one to either fast for 60 consecutive days or feed 60 people.
Who Should Pay Fidya?
Wondering about what is Fidya and who should pay Fidya? It is the amount obligated to pay as a compensation by the one who is unable to fast for any valid reason during Ramadan. The valid reasons include:
- Individuals who are suffering from any long-term illnesses may have to omit fasting during Ramadan.
- Old age people who are too weak and not in a satisfactory condition to fast.
- Women who are unable to fast due to pregnancy or nursing. However, some Islamic scholars advise them to make up for the missed fasts when possible.
- Anyone unable to fast due to any valid reason and cannot make up for fasts later on is also eligible to pay Fidya.
Understanding When Fidya Doesn't Apply To You?
It’s essential to understand that Fidya in Ramadan is not mandatory for everyone who misses a fast. There are many situations where Fidya doesn’t apply, because the missed fasts can and should be made up later.
You do not need to pay Fidya if:
- You are temporarily ill but expect to recover.
- You are travelling and can make up the fasts once home.
- Women who miss fasts due to menstruation, pregnancy, or postnatal bleeding, these fasts must be made up later.
In these cases, the correct approach is qada (making up the fasts), not Fidya. Paying Fidya when you are still able to fast later is not valid, as the obligation is only for those who are permanently unable to fast.
How to Calculate Your Fidya?
If you want to pay your Fidya in Ramadan and want to calculate it according to Shariah guidelines, you need to determine the cost of one meal or the staple food for each missed fast. Then multiply it with the total number of days when you couldn't fast. The total amount that comes up as a result in your Fidya to be paid. You can donate your Fidya to any charity organisation or directly to the needy people to help them fast comfortably throughout Ramadan.
Understand the Rules for Paying Kaffarah
To truly understand what is Fidya and how it differs, it’s also important to know the rules of Kaffarah. Kaffarah in Ramadan becomes obligatory to pay for a person when they intentionally break fast without any valid reason.
If someone deliberately drinks, eats, and engages in marital intimate relations while fasting, they are required to pay Kaffarah. However, fasts that are broken due to illness, menstruation, pregnancy, or travel do not need one to pay Kaffarah. They can make up for their fasts later on.
Fasting demands one to fulfil the obligation with seriousness during Ramadan. Anyone who breaks it intentionally without a valid reason must pay compensation strictly, i.e., Kaffarah.
Breaking a Fast Deliberately vs. Genuine Reasons
- The valid reasons for omitting a fast during Ramadan includes chronic illness, pregnancy, menstruation, travelling, old age, any long-term health condition.
- Intentional or deliberate fast breaking includes eating, drinking, or intimacy requires one to pay Kaffarah.
Kaffarah Explained: Fasting 60 Days vs. Feeding 60 People in Ramadan
Many people have misconceptions and confusion regarding what Kaffarah is, when it is due, and how to pay it. According to Shariah, if one breaks their fast deliberately, they must fast 60 consecutive days as compensation. If you are unable to do so, you must provide two meals each to 60 needy people. This strict compensation ensures the seriousness of breaking the fast is acknowledged while also benefiting those in need during Ramadan.
Spiritual Importance of Fidya and Kaffarah
The spiritual significance of Fidya and Kaffarah in the context of Islam is more than just a makeup for the missed fast. By observing Shariah guidelines, when someone pays Fidya, it not only blesses the one who pays it with mercy but also becomes a source of assistance for someone in dire need.
Similarly, when someone intentionally breaks their fast, Kaffarah serves as a reminder of the importance of fasting and becomes a source of repentance. The primary purpose of Fidya and Kaffarah is to encourage people to repent, seek Allah’s mercy, rejuvenate their faith, and assist those in need.
As in the Quran, Allah says:
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:184
Arabic:
وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ ۖ
Translation:
“And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] – a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person.”
How Your Fidya and Kaffarah Make an Impact?
Your Fidya and Kaffarah payments go directly to feeding the poor, supporting families who might otherwise struggle during Ramadan. Beyond obligation, this act strengthens community ties and spreads mercy.
Our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) highlighted the importance of charity in Islam through this Hadith reference:
عَن مَعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "الصَّدَقَةُ تُطْفِئُ الْخَطِيئَةَ كَمَا يُطْفِئُ الْمَاءُ النَّارَ"
Translation:
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire.” (Tirmidhi)
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the local rate. In the UK, it is usually the cost of feeding one person two simple meals; often around £5.
If you cannot afford Fidya, you should seek Allah’s forgiveness. Whenever financially possible, it must be paid. Until then, focus on acts of worship and charity within your means.
If you cannot fast 60 days or feed 60 people due to genuine hardship, repent sincerely. Still, whenever you are able, fulfil the obligation to the best of your ability.
They preserve the sanctity of Ramadan while ensuring the poor are not forgotten. It is both a spiritual duty and a social responsibility.
Fidya does not replace missed fasts unless you are permanently unable to fast. If your reason is temporary, you must make up the fasts later.
