What should a woman do if she breaks her fast due to giving birth? A woman gave birth at the beginning of Ramadan and refrained from fasting for the entire month. A mosque imam instructed her to give fidya, consisting of feeding a poor person for each missed fast day, and she acted accordingly.

The fast of Ramadan is a duty based on the Quran, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus.

The Quran

Allah Almighty says, “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous” (Quran, 183).

 

The Sunnah

Talha Ibn ‘Ubaydallah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, inform me of what Allah has prescribed for me with regard to fasting.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) answered, “The month of Ramadan.”

The man then asked, “Is there anything beyond that?”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “No, unless you choose to observe voluntary fasting” (recorded by Abu Nu’aym in his Musnad and al-Bayhaqi in Al-Sunan).

 

Consensus

The Muslim Ummah has unanimously agreed upon the obligation of fasting the month of Ramadan; it is one of the pillars of Islam, known by necessity as being part of the religion (meaning it is an essential and universally recognized aspect of Islam). Whoever denies its obligation is a disbeliever who has renounced Islam.

 

The prohibition of fasting for menstruating and postpartum women, and the obligation to make up any missed fasts

Jurists are in consensus that women in a state of menstruation or postpartum bleeding are required to refrain from fasting, as it is prohibited for them. Any fast performed during that time is invalid, and they are obliged to make up the missed fast days. ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated, “During the Prophet’s time, he instructed us to make up missed fast days due to menstruation, but not missed prayers for the same reason.” Accordingly, scholars unanimously hold that menstruation and postpartum bleeding require only the making up of fasts.

 

Making up the missed fast days of Ramadan

It is not obligatory to make up the missed fast days of Ramadan immediately; rather, they can be performed any time. ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated in an authentic report that she would make up her missed fast days in the month of Sha’ban (recorded by Muslim and Ahmad). If a woman postpones making up the missed fast days until the following Ramadan, she should first fast the current Ramadan and then make up the fasts of the previous Ramadan afterward. According to the Hanafis and al-Hasan al-Basri, no fidya (compensation) is required, whether the delay was for a valid excuse or not. However, Imams Malik, al-Shafi’i, and Ahmad hold that making up the missed fasts is obligatory only if the delay was for a valid excuse; otherwise, both making up the missed fast days and fidya are required.

 

The ruling

Based on the above, the woman mentioned in the question who broke her fast for the entire month of Ramadan due to giving birth should make them up whenever she is able to, whether consecutively or otherwise and no fidya is required of her. The money she paid based on the mosque imam’s instructions does not fulfill the obligation of making up her missed fasts due to the words of Allah Almighty, “… and [fast] a number of other days” (Quran, 2:184), meaning she can fast on different days. Her missed fast days are a debt she owes to Allah Almighty; a debt owed to Allah takes precedence in being fulfilled.

And Allah Almighty knows best.