Qaza and Kaffara Matters for Fast
There is no denying to the importance of fasting and Ramadan in Islam. Fasting is an obligatory worship for all Muslims adults, and must be carried out. The importance of fasting can be outlined by the fact that it forms a pillar of Islam.
The Holy Quran and Ahadith have emphasized the great importance of fasting for a believer, and in one of the Ahadith, it is reported that the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (S.A.W) said that fasting is for Allah and its reward will be set by Allah Almighty Himself.
The significance of the month of Ramadan is also enormous. Ramadan is set apart from the rest of lunar calendar as a month of purity and piety, where material desires are pushed back and a desire to attain greater inner purity through faith is expressed. The three ten day periods of Ramadan each carry its own significance. Blessings, mercy and forgiveness define the three 10 day periods in Ramadan. The significance of Ramadan can be understood from the fact that Allah chose this month to complete the revelation of Holy Quran.
In view of these facts, it is not surprising that Muslims are never willing to lose any fast. The punishment of skipping or breaking a fast is great, and is prescribed by the Shariat (Islamic law). However, Islam allows Muslims to skip fasts under certain permitted conditions, or break the fast before time if a genuine need arises. In such a case, the person is due to keep a ‘Qaza’ fast after the end of Ramadan and before the next Ramadan.
If the person breaks the fast due to a failure to control his material desires, he is due to pay a ‘kaffara’ (punishment). In this article, a description of the Qaza and Kaffara matters is given to guide Muslims about the conditions in which both of them applicable and the prescribed ways in which both the Qaza and Kaffara should be offered by Muslims.
Qaza Matters: Muslims are allowed to skip a fast under special circumstances. Women who are feeding a baby, or are pregnant and unable to fast or undergoing similar feminine complications may skip the fast. Similarly, old men and women who are too weak and are unable to fast are also allowed to skip the fast. Adults who are very ill and for whom their physicians fear that fasting and lack of water may exacerbate their position,may also skip the fast.
People who undergo the fast but are unable to complete it due to sudden medical complications (e.g. unpredicted illness) may break their fast before Maghrib. All these groups of people are only required to offer a Qaza fast later in the year after the end of Ramadan.
Kaffara Matters: People who intentionally break their fast as a result of failure to control their instincts for food or sexual pleasure are required to offer Kaffara for their broken fast. This Kaffara can be offered by fasting for 60 continuous days or by feeding 60 poor people twice a day (or giving them equivalent cash for eating twice a day). If any one day from this chain of 60 days is skipped, the whole chain has to be restarted from the scratch.
