['Aalim Network QR] Kaffara of Sawm (Fast)

[Ummulbanin <workshop@popmail.dircon.co.uk>]

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|       In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|  Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
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Assalamu 'alaykum
The following questions were answered by Mulla Asgher.

Salaams & Duas
Ummulbanin Merali - Moderator - 'Aalim Network
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Please base the answer to this question on the fatwa of Ayatullah Ali Khamene'i:

QUESTIONS:

It is said that the the kaffarrah of intentionally breaking an obligatory
fast in Ramadan is to either fast 60 consecutive days, free a slave, or feed
60 poor people. My question has three parts:
i) Is there a "preference","precedence", or "priority" as to which of the
three methods of performing kaffarrah should be performed or can a person
choose to perform any one of the three that he is able to perform?

ANSWER 1:

The precedence should be given to that KAFFARA which one can perform.



QUESTION 2:

 Regarding the specifications of feeding 60 poor people for a Believer who
lives in the United States?
What is the procedure for feeding the 60 poor people? Is it to find a poor
man on the street and offer him money or food? Or is it to invite the poor
person to your household? Is it acceptable to give the money for the food to
a masjid or any type of organization (Muslim or even non-Muslim) that agrees
to take on the responsibility of feeding 60 poor people for you?
Can you designate someone else on your behalf to feed 60 poor people, even
if when you give them the money for the food you have no way of ascertaining
whether or not the designee has actually fulfilled his task?
Is it acceptable to feed a poor non-Muslim such as the Ahl-e-Kitab or a
Hindu, Buddhist, atheist, etc.?
How much money (in US dollars) or how much / what quantity of food is
considered acceptable to feed one person, according to Shariah?
Can the same person be fed 60 times?
Is it acceptable to give money directly to a poor person with the intention
that he must use the money for food, or is it required to give food directly
to the person?

ANSWER:

Feeding 60 poor, means feeding them to their fill; or give three
quarter KG of food stuff like wheat, barley or bread etc to each of them.
This measure is called a MUDD. One cannot give to anyone of them more than
ONE MUDD of food, or feed a person more than once, calculating it as
feeding more than one person. However, one can give to a poor person ONE
MUDD of food for each number of his family, even if they be minors. Kaffara
should be given to Muslim Poor.



QUESTION 3:
 
Regarding the specifications of fasting for 60 days:
Does Ayatullah Khamene'i say that we must fast the first 31 days
consecutively and the remaining 29 days do not need to be consecutive?
If the answer to the above is yes, then what is the case regarding a person
who begins to fast for the 31 days but during this time he travels a large
distance such that his prayers would have to be offered as qasar (2 rakats
for each 4-rakat salat)? Would he be permitted to continue his kafarrah
fasts from where he left off when he returns home or would he be required to
start again? OR can he continue to fast during his travel so as not to
dirupt the continuity of the 31 days?

ANSWER:

If there is a justifiable excuse for leaving out his fasts, he will continue
from where he left and will not have to start all over again. 




Asgherali M M Jaffer