I have a question regarding refasting and Kaffaarah. Many years ago I could not fast due to pregnancy and I gave kaffaarah for the whole month, after a few years I also could not fast the whole of Ramadhaan due to illness, but gave kaffaarah also for these days. Unfortunately, I have not refasted these days till now due to many reasons. My question is whether I have to pay kaffaarah every year for the days I have not fasted till I fast them or is it only once for the year that passed and for not fasting the days before the next Ramadhaan that came. There are many opinions and InshaAllah you will give me the right advice. Furthermore, my financial situation is very poor and it would be very difficult for me to pay a high sum for every year that passed without fasting my debts. If yes that a kaffaarah should be paid every year for the days (60 days), how much should be paid? What if someone cannot fast anymore or refast due to illness all the time and taking medication? What should be done in this case? I hope I could make my query clear enough to you.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

If a woman breaks the fast due to pregnancy or other sound reasons and she did not make up those days until the next Ramadan came, then if this delay is due to a sound reason, she is only required to make up those days which she did not fast and she is not obliged to expiate for the delay.

However, if the delay occurred without any valid reason, then she is sinful for delaying the making up of the days which she broke the fast until (the next) Ramadan came, and she is obliged to repent to Allaah and make up those days if she is able to fast along with expiating for the delay. The expiation is to give a Mudd (approximately 750 gm) of food for every day.

On the other hand, the expiation is not multiplied in case of delaying making up the missed days to other Ramadans. Also, the expiation is not waved out if the person delayed making up the missed days for many years.

As for the expiation, if she broke the fast, for instance, for 10 days and she did not make them up without any valid reason until the next Ramadan came and she also broke the fast for 5 days in that second Ramadan and she did not make them up as well until the third Ramadan came, then she is only obliged to make up 15 days and expiate for 15 days. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 81373 and 83400.

According to the view of the majority of the scholars paying the money does not suffice for feeding a person in the expiation for making up for missed days as we clarified in Fataawa 86943 and 85464.

As regards the one who is unable to fast at all, like a person who has a chronic disease, then he should feed a poor person for every day he broke the fast as we clarified in the aforementioned Fataawa.

Therefore, dear sister, you are obliged to make up for the days you broke fasting if you were able to fast, and you are obliged to expiate for every day which you delayed making it up without having any sound reason while being able to make it up until the next Ramadan or Ramadans came.

Concerning the days which you were unable to make up due to a chronic disease and the like, then you should feed a poor person for every day instead of making them up. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 82026.