Expiation for Breaking the Ramadan Fast: Every Case Explained
What you owe for breaking a Ramadan fast depends on why you broke it. If you had a valid excuse such as menstruation, illness, or travel, you simply make up the missed days. If you are permanently unable to fast, you pay fidya by feeding one poor person for each day. If you deliberately broke the fast through marital intercourse, the major expiation (kaffarah) applies: freeing a slave; if that is not possible, fasting two consecutive months; and if that is not possible, feeding sixty poor people. This guide walks through every case, explains the difference between fidya and kaffarah, and shows you how to pay.
Table of Contents
Allah made fasting Ramadan an obligation on every sane, capable Muslim, and a path to forgiveness and Paradise. Still, people sometimes miss days, whether for a legitimate reason or not. Expiation was prescribed to make up for that gap, to discourage repeating the mistake, and to cleanse the sin.
Who Has to Fast in Ramadan?
Fasting is only required of someone who meets all of these conditions:
- Being Muslim. Fasting is not required of non-Muslims. Allah says: “And what prevents their contributions from being accepted is nothing except that they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger and did not come to prayer except lazily and did not spend except while they were unwilling.”
- Having reached puberty. The obligation falls on mature adults.
- Being of sound mind. A person who has lost their sanity is not required to fast.
- Being physically able. The person should not have a serious illness; pregnancy and breastfeeding are also grounds for an exemption.
- Not traveling. A traveler may break the fast. Allah says: “And whoever is ill or on a journey – then an equal number of other days.”
- Being free of menstruation and postpartum bleeding. Women in these states do not fast and make up the days afterward. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Is it not that when she menstruates, she does not pray or fast?”
Pregnancy, nursing, and medical conditions affect everyone differently, so if any of these apply to you, talk to your doctor before deciding whether to fast.
Is Breaking the Fast Without an Excuse a Sin?
Yes, and a serious one. Breaking a Ramadan fast with no valid reason is counted among the major sins, because it directly goes against Allah's command: “Then complete the fast until the night.” (Al-Baqarah: 187). It also disregards the sanctity of the blessed month.
Anyone who has done this should turn to Allah in sincere repentance, feel genuine regret, and resolve not to break a fast again without a legitimate reason. If the fast was broken through intercourse, the heavier kaffarah described below also becomes due.
Expiation for Each Situation at a Glance
Kaffarah is a form of religious compensation that covers a wrong, and what is required changes with the reason for breaking the fast:
| Situation | What is required |
|---|---|
| Menstruation or postpartum bleeding | Make up the days after Ramadan; feeding is only added if the make-up is delayed. |
| Temporary illness or travel | Make up the days; feeding is only added if the make-up is delayed until the next Ramadan. |
| Old age, or illness with no hope of recovery | Feed one poor person for each missed day (fidya). |
| Deliberate intercourse during a fasting day | The major kaffarah, in order, plus making up the day and repenting. |
| Delaying make-up fasts into the next Ramadan without excuse | Make up the days and feed one poor person for each day. |
Menstruating women
Menstruation is a valid excuse. A woman makes up the days she missed once Ramadan is over. She does not feed the poor in place of fasting and owes no kaffarah. If she delays her make-up fasts, she must make them up and also feed one poor person for each day of delay.
The sick and travelers
Both make up their missed days after Ramadan. They owe no feeding unless they put off the make-up until the following Ramadan. A person whose illness has no expected cure is treated like a frail elderly person: they feed one poor person for each day, and they may be excused from expiation altogether if the incapacity is permanent.
The elderly and people with chronic illness
They feed one poor person for every day they cannot fast, using the local staple food such as rice, bread, or dates. If cash would serve the poor person better, it is permissible to give the equivalent value in money.
Deliberate intercourse during the fast
This expiation must be followed in order. You only move to the next option if you truly cannot do the one before it:
- Free a believing slave.
- If unable, fast two consecutive months.
- If unable, feed sixty poor people.
On top of that, the person must repent and seek Allah's forgiveness, since this is a major sin, and make up the day they broke. A wife who consented must also make up the day and repent. If poverty and inability make the expiation impossible, it is waived.
Fidya vs. Kaffarah: What Is the Difference?
Both are forms of compensation in Islamic law, but fidya makes up for an obligation you could not fulfill because of a valid excuse, while kaffarah makes up for a sin you committed.
| Fidya | Kaffarah | |
|---|---|---|
| Why it is due | Inability to fast because of a legitimate excuse such as chronic illness or old age. | Breaking the fast without an excuse, or intercourse during a fasting day. |
| Is there a sin? | No. It is a duty that clears your obligation before Allah. | Yes. Its purpose is repentance and erasing the sin. |
| What you do | Feed one poor person a meal per day, or pay its value. | Free a slave, fast, or feed the poor, depending on the case. |
| Amount | One poor person's food per day from the local staple. | For intercourse: feed sixty poor people, half a Saa‘ each, which is thirty Saa‘ in total. |
How much food per day?
Jurists estimate one poor person's portion for a single day at between half a Saa‘ and a full Saa‘ of the local staple such as rice, dates, or wheat, roughly 750 grams to 1.5 kg. For the expiation of delayed make-up fasts, each poor person receives half a Saa‘.
How much is it in dollars?
The cash value of fidya and kaffarah changes every year with food prices and varies by country. That is why Elvefa announces the approved amount at the start of each Ramadan on our Fidya & Kaffarah campaign page.
Common Mistakes People Make
- Paying fidya for a temporary excuse when you are actually able to make up the fast.
- Skipping straight to feeding sixty people for the intercourse kaffarah while still able to fast two months.
- Forgetting to make up the broken day in addition to the kaffarah.
- Letting make-up fasts slide into the next Ramadan without a valid reason.
- Paying without a sincere intention for the sake of Allah.
How to Pay Your Fidya or Kaffarah Through Elvefa
Thousands of displaced families live on very limited food after losing their homes and livelihoods. Your fidya or kaffarah can become a meal on one of their tables. Elvefa's experienced field team makes sure the food reaches poor and needy people who qualify.
- Figure out what you owe: make-up fasts only, fidya, or the major kaffarah, and for how many days.
- Calculate the amount using the value Elvefa publishes at the start of Ramadan.
- Make your intention that feeding the poor for each day is purely for Allah.
- Give through a trusted organization, such as Elvefa's fidya and kaffarah campaign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to pay expiation for fasting?
Any sane, capable Muslim who breaks a Ramadan fast without a legitimate excuse, and anyone who delays making up missed Ramadan days.
What types of expiation are there?
- The major expiation: freeing a slave, or fasting two months, or feeding sixty poor people.
- The minor expiation: for delaying make-up fasts until another Ramadan begins without an excuse.
- Islam also has other expiations, including for zihar, for breaking an oath, for accidental killing, and for shortcomings during Hajj. Read more in our article on the concept of expiation and its types.
Can I pay my expiation in cash?
Yes, if cash is more useful to the poor, as long as it equals the value of the required food.
Is feeding the poor enough for a traveler or a menstruating woman?
No. They are required to make up the days. Feeding only comes in if they delay the make-up.
The Bottom Line
Not every missed fast is treated the same: if you had an excuse, you make it up; if you are permanently unable, you pay fidya; and if you broke it deliberately through intercourse, you owe the major kaffarah along with a make-up day and repentance. Once you know your situation, clear your obligation and feed a family in need through Elvefa's Fidya & Kaffarah campaign. Elvefa is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your gift is tax-deductible.
