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Fatwa CenterBeing Ignorant About The Obligation of Making Up Missed Fasts
Question
My mother was 15 when she delivered her baby. That was in Ramadan, and she refrained from fasting for the whole month. She did not make up for that until now. She is now 30 and she is regretful. In fact, she was ignorant about matters of religion back then. Does she have to offer an expiation, and what should she do about the month that she failed to fast?
Answer
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 your mother was ignorant about the obligation of making up for missed fasts, then she is not sinful for having delayed fasting those days beyond their due time. However, she would immediately have started fasting the days that she missed from the very moment at which she came to know of the ruling. If she delayed fasting those days after having known the ruling and until another Ramadan came, then she is required not only to fast the missed days but also to pay a minor expiation for each missed fast that she delayed from its specified time. The minor expiation is to feed a poor person for each day of fasting that she delayed without a valid excuse.
Allaah Knows best.
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