I have 375 missed fasts as for today...I have to give Fidya of 3500kg of rice. As I am not able to make up 375 in a year..what is the best I can do right now? Even if I do give 3500kg this year, next year I will have to give Fidya again for 375days.. and the year after but I do not wish to tax my husband each year and I have no personal income.

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 you have missed fasts, then you have to make them up, whether they are few or many. You are not obliged to make them up in order; rather, it is permissible to divide them according to your ability.

We wish that the sister who asked the question could have mentioned to us more details about her missed fasts and the reason behind delaying making them up so that we may know whether expiation is obligatory on her or not. Anyway, if she has to offer expiation, then the expiation is obligatory on her wealth not the wealth of her husband. However, her husband may offer expiation on her behalf with her permission.

As for expiation, it is to feed one poor person the amount of one Mudd (of staple food) for each day. So, if she missed fasting 375 days, then she has to offer 375 Mudds. A Mudd is equal to the amount of two handfuls scooped up by someone with hands of average size, equaling 750 grams approximately, i.e. it is less than one kilogram. Accordingly, what the questioner mentioned that she is obligated to offer 3500 kilograms is incorrect; rather, it is just 281 kilograms.

According to most scholars, expiation does not multiply when the fasting is delayed for many months of Ramadan. Ibn Muflih Al-Hanbali said in Al-Mubdi‘i: "If several Ramadans pass, then one is not obliged to offer more than one ransom because repeated delay does not increase the obligation, like if someone delayed the obligatory Hajj for years, he would not be obliged to perform it more than once." [End quote]

The opinion we adopt here in Islamweb is that expiation does not multiply (with the multiplication of the years). For more benefit, kindly refer to Fataawa 83400 and 101245.

On the other hand, if she does not have what she offers expiation with, then ransom will remain obligatory on her and whenever she finds what she can offer as a ransom, she may offer it. But, she will not be sinful if she delayed the ransom because she is not able to offer it. Allaah The Almighty says (what means):

• {Allaah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.}[Quran 2:286]

• {So fear Allaah as much as you are able.}[Quran 64:16]

Al-Buhooti said in Kashshaaf Al-Qinaa‘: "Feeding that is obligatory upon the one who delayed making up missed days of Ramadan until another Ramadan came is not waived." [End quote]

Allaah Knows best.