Islamic Manual

Making up missed fasts (qada)

The rules for making up fasts that were missed or broken: when, in what order, and who owes fidyah instead.

If you missed a fast that you were supposed to keep (whether you had a good reason or not, or your fast broke for some reason), you owe a make-up day (qada) later.

The rules for making up missed fasts

  1. There's no deadline for making up a missed fast: you can do it whenever you're able. It's better to do it soon, though, so you don't put it off.
  2. You don't have to make up missed fasts all in a row. You can take breaks between them.
  3. You don't have to make them up in any particular order.
  4. If next Ramadan arrives and you still haven't made up fasts from last time, fast this Ramadan first, then make up the older missed days afterwards.
  5. Girls and women who missed fasts because of their monthly period or after having a baby make those days up after Ramadan ends.
  6. Someone who missed fasting because they're elderly, or have an illness that isn't expected to get better, doesn't have to make those days up at all. Instead, they give fidyah: feeding one poor person two meals, or its equivalent, for each day missed.
Wājibmust do

Wherever an obligatory or compulsory fast is missed on time, whether due to an excuse or without one, or is broken or invalidated for any reason, making it up on another day is obligatory.

Rules for making up missed fasts

  1. There is no specific time limit for making up missed fasts; they may be made up whenever possible, though it is better to do so as soon as possible to discharge the obligation promptly.
  2. It is not necessary to make up qada fasts consecutively, whether they are Ramadan fasts or others; breaks may be taken between them.
  3. There is no requirement to make up missed fasts in the order they were missed, just as there is none in making up missed prayers. If a new Ramadan arrives before the previous year's missed fasts have been made up, the current Ramadan's fasts are observed first, and the older missed fasts are made up afterward.
  4. Women who missed fasts due to menstruation or post-natal bleeding make those fasts up after Ramadan.
  5. Fasts missed due to old age, or a similar condition such as an illness from which recovery is not expected, do not require qada at all; fidyah is given instead: feeding a poor person two meals, or the equivalent of sadaqat al-fitr, for each fast missed.
Wājibmust do

Whenever a farḍ or wājib fast is missed at its proper time, whether excused or unexcused, or is invalidated or broken for any cause, its qaḍāʾ on another day is wājib.

Governing rules for qaḍāʾ

  1. Qaḍāʾ carries no fixed time limit and may be discharged whenever possible, though prompt discharge (ta'jīl) is preferable.
  2. Tatābu' (consecutiveness) is not required for qaḍāʾ fasts, whether of Ramaḍān or otherwise; interruptions between them are permitted.
  3. Tartīb (sequence) is not required in discharging multiple qaḍāʾ fasts, exactly as with missed prayers. Where a further Ramaḍān arrives before the previous year's qaḍāʾ has been completed, the current Ramaḍān is observed first, with the outstanding qaḍāʾ deferred to afterward.
  4. Women who missed fasts to ḥayḍ or nifās make their qaḍāʾ after Ramaḍān.
  5. Where fasts were missed owing to old age, or an illness from which recovery is not medically expected, qaḍāʾ is waived entirely and fidyah substituted: feeding one poor person two meals, or the equivalent of ṣadaqat al-fiṭr, per missed day.

Terms on this page

qada

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