Fatwa ID: 03211

Answered by:  Shaykh Umer Khan​

Question

Assalamualaikum

I have broken fasts in previous Ramadan's which I am deeply ashamed of. I cannot remember all the fasts I have broken but I am trying to remember as much as I can what I did on several occasions to break these fasts.

On one occasion I intentionally drank water. And on several other occasions, I have masturbated either in the same Ramadan or on different Ramadan's.

So from memory, I recall that in one Ramadan I took part in I broke one fast by intentionally drinking water only. And on another occasion in the same Ramadan where I intentionally drank water to break a fast, I masturbated on a different day or days to break a fast/fasts. And I recall in other Ramadan's that I have broken several fasts by masturbating.

These are the only things I have done which I can remember have broken my fasts.

1).-Please can you tell me how many qadha fasts and kaffarah fast I need to keep?

2).-Also will all the fasts have to be done consecutively and when should I do them?

3).- I am actually not too sure what qadha and kaffarah means and what acts one does to break a fast make it qadha or kaffarah. So please can you elaborate on this also?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful 

Answer:

Qaḍā' means to make up a fast. You will need to cautiously estimate the total number of fasts that you either missed or intentionally broke and then make each one up, a day for day. Qaḍā' fasts should be made up as soon as possible, along with repenting for the mistakes. These fasts do not have to be kept consecutively.

Expiation (kaffārah) is a penalty that applies if you broke a fast either through deliberately eating or drinking, or if you had sexual intercourse. It does not apply to any fasts that you missed or fasts that you broke by ejaculating through masturbation [1]. The expiation requires fasting for 60 consecutive days without missing a single fast. If one does not have the capability to do this, they can instead feed sixty poor people [2]. It is sufficient to perform a single expiation of 60 consecutive days for all the past fasts you broke by drinking water [3].

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Shaykh Umer Khan

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] Raddu al-Muḥtār, 2/398

[2] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1/260

[3] Raddu al-Muḥtār, 5/518