By Husain Zakariyya Yawale
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint. (Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (with hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But He that will give more, of His own free will,- it is better for Him. And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew.”[al-Baqara: 183-184]
In the name of Allah, the
Beneficent, The Merciful.
May the blessing and peace of Allah be upon His last and final Messenger, his Household, his Companions and all those who follow him, until the end of time!
This week insha Allah, I will be discussing with you the significance of paying back all the missed days as soon as possible before embarking on any type of recommendable fast. I have observed, unfortunately, in many mosques where either the Imam or an admonisher keep on reminding people to fast the six days of Shawwal, but deliberately or forgetfully keeping quite on the significance and urgency of repayment of Ramadan first and foremost. In Islam, acts of ibadats are categorised in order of importance and preference by the law Giver, Allah (SWT). There are the Fard or Wajib, the Sunnah and the Mustahab. These have degrees of preference in the sight of Allah; the most loved act of worships in the sight of Allah are the ones with highest degree of preferences. Thus, I would like to remind my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters to take into cognisance and consciousness of all categories of their worships before embarking on them.
Islam has categorised into groups in matters of repayment of missed days during Ramadan, those who are either permanently, or those who are temporarily, exempted from both fasting and repayment. The Qur’an clearly gives reprieve to the sick and travelers to repay their missed days after Ramadan. Allah says:
“…But if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made up) from days later...”[al-Baqara: 184]
For clarity and easy comprehension, the following categories are exempted on various grounds:
1. The sick:
Fundamentally speaking, there are two types illness that warrant holiday during the month of Ramadan; that which is chronic and terminal, and the temporary one. Those that are terminally ill and elderly are classified under the permanent disability group, whom the Shari’ah does not require them to repay their missed days after Ramadan. That means they will continue feeding the poor directly or by proxies as long as they live. The insane are completely not classified as mukallafoon or whom are demanded by Shari’ah to worship Allah, hence they are not required to feed at all.
b. There are the sick people whose illnesses are temporary or their cases can be presumed hopeful ones. Included under this category are the women in menstruation, child-birth bleeding, seasonal sickness such as fever, severe headache, stomach-ache, curable ulcer, nursing mothers, pregnant ones and all illness than can be categorised under curable or treatable sickness.
A bleeding woman for example, is required by Shari’ah to fast a number of days after Ramadan equal to those she missed due to bleeding of either the monthly or postpartum period. ‘Aisha said :”In the Prophet’s time we were ordered to compensate for fasting days missed in bleeding but were not ordered to perform restitution for our missed prayers”
c. Pregnant and nursing mothers are not ‘sick’ people, so to say; they are in fact healthy but undergoing a normal process in life. And so, they don’t fall under the category of sick people, but enjoy the same respite during the fast of Ramadan.
In matters where a woman fears for her baby only (and not for herself), she is permissible to break her fast and save the life of the baby and make up the missed days later with payment of fidyah (feeding one poor person for each day missed), because of the report narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas concerning the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
“And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskeen (poor person) (for every day)” [al-Baqarah 2:184]
But if the fear was for her life, then she is only required to make up the missed days without expiation or fidya afterwards.
2. Old age:
Old age is a normal process of life, which sometimes comes with re-occurring ailments and stresses that could be permanent impediment to good life. In this case, fasting can be very tasking and difficult; consequently, breaking and not fasting is the only option, except if the aged can try to fast in disregard of the hardship. Thus, Aabdullahi Ibn ‘Abbaas said: This is a concession allowed to old men and women, who can only fast with difficulty; they are allowed to break the fast and to feed one poor person for each day of fasting missed. He was also reported as saying, “The elderly man is exempt from fasting, provided that he feeds a needy person for each day. He is not required to fast at a later date.” (Related by Al-Daraqutni and Al-Hakim).
The Qur’an says: “…’ and for those who can fast with difficulty, they have a choice either to fast or to feed a poor man every day (that they missed).’ [2: 184]
Similarly, the same concessional ruling may apply to criminals sentenced for life imprisonment with hard labour in Dar-el-harb, if they actually find fasting too tasking and unbearable of a burden and their relatives have enough money to cover the required compensation, otherwise, “On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.” [2: 286]
3. The traveller:
Some people contend that travelling nowadays is devoid of hardship, convenient and comfortable such that Muslims travelers who chose not to fast are frowned at. However, this argument should be taken as reasonably enough to warrant fasting as the only option as following; once the Sunnah allows it. The position can be likened to shortened and combined salats during travelling, regardless of whether the journey is difficult or not.
All the categories of people, who for one or more reasons had a break or missed days during the Ramadan, have a duty to observe the same number of days missed immediately after Eid. The repayment is most loved by Allah and thus more rewarding. Any reason that may be put across to delay the obligatory or compulsory ibadats in preference to recommendable or laudatory ones, has really falling into the trap of Iblis, the cursed one! Therefore, any Muslim who owes fasts from Ramadan is required by the Shari’ah to make them up immediately, though they have respite to repay until Sha’abaan.
But, if for any reason other than sickness and traveling the next Ramadan comes and he or she has not made them up, then he or she is guilty of sin and has to make them up in addition to feeding one poor person for each day paid, as was the custom of the Companions of the Prophet (SAW). But if a person had an excuse for delaying in making up the missed fasts, then all he or she has to do is to make up the missed fasts, without any recourse to feed the deprived, based on the general meaning of the verse, as expiation or kaffarah:
‘…But if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days…’ [al-Baqarah 2:184].
Another advice in respect of delaying Ramadan in preference for sitta-Shawwal, are actually wrong as the logical benefit derived from the hadith as unrealisable. The hadith implies that if you fast the month of Ramadan, and follow it with six days in Shawwal, Allah will reward him as though he or she has fasted for a whole year. The logic here is a month is either 29 or 30 days; so, if for any reason one breaks its sequence, making the days less than the minimal days in a month, then he or she has yet to fast for a month, without quickly repaying the missed days, and then immediately fast the six-Shawwal to reap the bonanza! Remember, one month and six days is 36 days; multiply that with 10 as minimum folds of rewards, will give you 360 days, to make a year! Tell me how anyone can achieve that without making up the missed days first!
It is thus, very repugnant and abhorrent for anyone who has carry-over of Ramadan fast for any shariatic reasons, to delay it in preference to ‘sitta-shawwal’ by whatever explanation. As long as you are on Allah’s debit list for any type of obligatory act of worship, the earlier you pay back, the best and more rewarding, and, what is more dreadful is that we do not have any organ in our body with which we can sense when exactly we will depart this life.
Therefore, those who are deceived in delaying the repayment of Ramadan fast before venturing into any laudable fast have missed the essence and incentives which Allah has offered to anybody who, after completing the Ramadan, gets with fasting the six Shawwal, since their fasts were not up to complete month!
The Messenger of Allah reported from his Lord, which was reported by Abu Huraira said, “Allah said, ‘I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have commanded him...”
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