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She Is 8 Months Pregnant and Has To Make Up For Missed Fasts

Question

My wife has to fast 5 days that she missed last Ramadan. She is now 8 months pregnant. What should she do?

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  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Whoever breaks the fast in Ramadan must make up for those days before the following Ramadan comes unless the reason due to which first missed that fasting continues to exist until the following Ramadan. If the excuse continues, then one is not blamed for delaying the missed fasting, nor should he offer the expiation for this delay. If the excuse does not continue to exist and one is able to make up for the fasting but does not do so until the following Ramadan comes while being aware of the prohibition of delaying the missed fasting, then one is guilty of that and must make up for those fasts after the second Ramadan ends. He is then also required to offer an expiation for the delay by feeding a poor person for each day of fasting that he missed. The amount of food should weigh about 750 gm.

That being said, if your wife is able to make up for the fasting that she missed, then she must do this right away. If she did not do so, then she must start fasting the missed days after Ramadan. She will also be required to feed a poor person for each day of fasting that she missed in case she was able to fast before Ramadan but did not do.

Imam An-Nawawi  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him says:

If someone is required to make up for Ramadan or some days thereof but delayed the fasting due to a valid excuse, like being sick or on travel, then the delay is permissible so long as the excuse exists, even if for years. In this case, he will not be required to observe the expiation, no matter how many occurrences of Ramadan pass. All what he would be required to do is to make up for the missed fasts. This is because it is definitely permissible to delay fasting Ramadan due to that excuse. Hence, to delay the missed fasts is permissible with greater reason. Nonetheless, if there is no valid excuse, then the person is not allowed to delay making up for the missed fasts until another Ramadan comes, as agreed upon by the scholars. Rather, he is required to make up for the fasting before the following Ramadan comes.

Allaah Knows best.

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