Fidyah for Missed Fasts During Ramadan
What is Fidyah?
Fidyah is a charity given when someone cannot fast during Ramadan and is not expected to make up the missed fasts later. This applies to people who are elderly or have a long-term illness with no hope of recovery. Instead of fasting, they give Fidyah for each missed fast by feeding a poor person, allowing them to still take part in the spirit and reward of Ramadan.
The Meaning and Mercy of Fidyah in Islam
Fidyah is a mercy from Allah. It ensures that those who cannot fast are not cut off from the blessings of Ramadan. Through Fidyah, they continue to honour the month by helping others in need. It also provides dignity to the poor — offering food at a time when many families quietly struggle.
Who Must Pay Fidyah?
You must pay Fidyah for missed fasts during Ramadan if:
Fidyah is not required for temporary situations like travel, pregnancy, breastfeeding, or short-term illness. In those cases, the fasts should be made up later instead.
What Does the Qur’an Say About Fidyah?
“But those who can fast with difficulty (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice) to feed a poor person (for every day)… And that you fast is better for you, if only you knew.”
[Surah Al-Baqarah 2:184]
Ibn ‘Abbas (رضي الله عنه) said this verse refers to the elderly who cannot fast — they must feed one poor person per missed day.
(Al-Bukhari 4505)
Scholarly View on Fidyah
Imam Ibn Qudamah said:
“If fasting is too difficult for an elderly person or one with a long-term illness, they are allowed not to fast, and must feed one poor person for each missed day.”
(Al-Mughni 4/396)
Other major schools of thought agree that Fidyah is due when fasting is not possible and cannot be made up, especially due to old age or chronic illness.
(Al-Mawsu`ah Al-Fiqhiyyah 5/117)
Give Your Fidyah for Missed Fasts During Ramadan
If you or someone you love cannot fast due to illness or age, give Fidyah for missed fasts during Ramadan to help feed the poor. Through your Fidyah, vulnerable families receive food during the blessed month — and you gain reward for fulfilling this obligation with compassion and care.
How much is Fidyah in 2026?
Fidyah is usually calculated as feeding one poor person for each missed fast. To make this simple, Humanity Care Relief has set clear amounts based on providing food support to those in need.
Fidyah Calculator
Use the closest option below, or calculate based on your missed fasts:
Example:
If you missed 10 fasts, your Fidyah is £50.
Al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“As for an old man who is unable to fast, after Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) grew old, for one or two years he fed a poor person with bread and meat and he did not fast.”
Al-Bukhari narrated in a mu’allaq report from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when he grew old and was unable to fast, he did not fast and he would give bread and meat to a poor person for each day.
Image: Children smiling after receiving food packs from the HCR Fidyah Aid
How to pay Fidyah
Paying Fidyah should be simple and stress-free:
If you choose to give through Humanity Care Relief, your Fidyah is used to provide food to those in need, with distribution handled responsibly so families receive support during Ramadan.
Image: Young boy feeling happy after receiving complete Ramadan rashion from HCR.
What is the difference between Fidyah and Kaffarah?
Fidyah
Fidyah is paid when someone cannot fast at all and has no expectation of making up missed fasts later (such as long-term illness or old age). It is a way of feeding the poor in place of fasting.
Kaffarah
Kaffarah is a heavier penalty that applies when a fast is broken deliberately without a valid excuse (and it has its own rules and requirements).
In short:
Fidyah = unable to fast long-term
Kaffarah = deliberately breaking a fast without a valid reason
Who can receive Fidyah?
Fidyah should go to people who are genuinely struggling, the poor and needy, so they can eat properly, especially in Ramadan.
It can be given to:
Hence, the poor man may be given zakaah that is sufficient for him and his family.
It says in al-Rawd al-Murbi’ (3/311):
The two types – i.e., the poor (fuqara’) and needy (masaakeen) – may both be given what is sufficient for them and their dependents. End quote.
Can Fidyah be given to children?
Yes, Fidyah can be given to a child who eats regular food, because the goal is to feed those in need. The food may be given to a child who eats regular food, according to scholarly consensus. However, the imams differed with regard to giving it to a nursing infant.
The majority of scholars (including Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad) are of the view that this is permissible because he is a poor person who is included in the general meaning of this verse. The apparent meaning of the words of Imam Maalik is that food should not be given to a nursing infant, but he said that it is permissible to give it to a weanling. This view was favoured by al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him).
See: al-Mughni, 13/508; al-Insaaf, 23/342; al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 35/101-103.
Can Fidyah be given in cash?
Many scholars emphasise that Fidyah is fulfilled through food, not a cash handover.
If someone donates online through a charity, the key point is that the charity uses the donation to purchase and distribute food to eligible people.
It is not permissible to give the equivalent value of the food in money.
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) said:
Feeding the poor is not to be done by giving cash as you mentioned, rather it is done by giving the food that is the local staple food. So each day half a saa’ of the usual local staple food is to be given, and half a saa’ is equivalent to approximately one and half kilograms.
So you have to give this amount of the local staple food for each day, and do not give cash, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskeen (poor person) (for every day).” [al-Baqarah 2:184]
Al-Muntaqa min Fatawa al-Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan, 3/140.
Fidyah for Missed Fasts During Ramadan = Meals for the Needy
In places like Gaza, Yemen, and Pakistan, food is more than a meal — it’s a lifeline. By giving your Fidyah for Missed Fasts During Ramadan, you help provide essential meals to families already supported through our Gaza Emergency Appeal, Yemen Emergency Appeal, Pakistan Floods Appeal, and Ramadan Food Appeal — ensuring they don’t go without this Eid.
Fidyah FAQs
What is Fidyah in Islam?
Fidyah is a donation given when a Muslim cannot fast during Ramadan and is not expected to make up the missed fasts later, usually due to old age or chronic illness.
How much is Fidyah per day?
Fidyah equals the cost of feeding one poor person for each missed fast. The amount depends on the local cost of staple food in your area.
Who should pay Fidyah?
Any Muslim who cannot fast due to old age or a long-term illness with no hope of recovery, and who is unable to make up the missed fasts later.
Can Fidyah be paid online?
Yes — if paid through a trusted charity that uses your donation to provide actual food to eligible people before or during Ramadan.
When should Fidyah be paid?
It’s best to pay Fidyah during Ramadan, as early as possible, so the food can reach those in need in good time.
What is the purpose of Fidyah in Islam?
Fidyah is a mercy from Allah, allowing those who cannot fast to still gain reward by feeding the poor and taking part in the spirit of Ramadan.
Can Fidyah be given to family members?
Yes — if they are genuinely poor or in need, and you are not already financially responsible for them.
Can I pay Fidyah for missed fasts from previous years?
Yes — if you qualified for Fidyah at the time, you can still pay it now for any missed fasts from past Ramadans.
What foods can be used to pay Fidyah?
Fidyah should be paid using staple foods commonly eaten locally, such as rice, wheat, flour, or dates — enough to feed one person per day.
Is Fidyah only for Muslims?
Yes — Fidyah is an obligation for Muslims, and it is paid on behalf of a Muslim who qualifies to give it.
What is the minimum amount of Fidyah?
The minimum is the value of enough staple food to feed one poor person for one day, for each missed fast.