What is the ruling regarding one who postpones the missed fast days until the next Ramadan?

It is permissible for someone with some missed fast days to postpone delay making them up; however, according to the majority of scholars, they must be performed before the next Ramadan. They base their opinion on the report ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) who said that she would delay making up her missed fast days of Ramadan until the month of Sha’ban (Bukhari and Muslim).

A person who postpones making up any missed fast days until the next Ramadan without an excuse is blameworthy and must make them up and pay fidya (compensation), which consists of feeding one poor person for every missed fast day . This is based on the narrations of Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar, and Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with them) in which they stated that whoever has some missed fast days of Ramadan but does not make them up until the next Ramadan, must make them up in addition to feeding one poor person for each missed fast day.

In contrast, according to Hanafi jurisprudence and according to one opinion of the Hanbalis, making up a missed fast days is non-time-restricted. They hold that if another Ramadan arrives before the missed fast days are made up, even if the fast is intended as a make up fast, it is counted as a fast of performance [of the current fast]. According to this view, a fidya is not required, based on the words of Allah Almighty, “… then an equal number of days [are to be made up]” (Quran, 2:184).

And Allah Almighty knows best.