What If a Shaykh-e-Fani Cannot Pay Fidyah? Sharia Ruling
The Ruling on a Shaykh-E-Fānī Who is Not Capable of Paying Fidyah
Darulifta Ahlesunnat (Dawateislami)
Question
What do the noble scholars and jurists of Islamic law say about the following: If someone is a Shaykh-e-Fānī, they are required to pay the fidyah of fasting. But the question is, if one is not capable of paying the fidyah either, then what should they do?
Answer
بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
A Shaykh-e-Fānī (i.e., a person who has become so weak due to old age that they can no longer observe the fasts and there is no hope that they will ever regain the ability to do so in the future) is required to feed a miskīn or sharʿī faqīr two filling meals for each fast, or pay the amount of one sadaqah al-fitr to a miskīn or sharʿī faqīr for each fast. However, if such a person is a destitute and is not capable of paying fidyah, then they must perform istighfār. If they later gain the ability to pay fidyah, then they must pay it at that time.
It is stated in the Noble Qurʾān about a Shaykh-e-Fānī:
وَ عَلَى الَّذِیْنَ یُطِیْقُوْنَهٗ فِدْیَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِیْنٍؕ-
Translation (Kanz-Ul-ʿIrfān): And those who are incapable, then for them there is the feeding of a destitute individual (miskīn) as expiation. (Part 02, Sūrah al-Baqarah, Verse 184)
Under this verse, it is narrated in Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī:
قال ابن عباس:ليست بمنسوخة هو الشيخ الكبير، والمرأة الكبيرة لا يستطيعان أن يصوما، فيطعمان مكان كل يوم مسكينا
Translation: Ibn ʿAbbās states: This verse is not abrogated. This refers to a very old man and very old woman who are incapable of fasting. Hence, they must feed one miskīn for each day (of not fasting). (Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, p. 1101, Ḥadīth No. 4505, Publ. Beirut)
Instead of feeding, it is also permissible to pay the amount of a sadaqah al-fitr for each fast. It is stated in Bahār-E-Sharīʿat :
شیخ فانی یعنی وہ بوڑھا جس کی عمر ایسی ہوگئی کہ اب روزبروز کمزور ہی ہوتا جائے گا، جب وہ روزہ رکھنے سے عاجز ہو یعنی نہ اب رکھ سکتا ہے نہ آئندہ اُس میں اتنی طاقت آنے کی اُمید ہے کہ روزہ رکھ سکے گا، اُسے روزہ نہ رکھنے کی اجازت ہے اورہر روزہ کے بدلے میں فدیہ یعنی دونوں وقت ایک مسکین کو بھر پیٹ کھانا کھلانا اس پرواجب ہے یا ہر روزہ کے بدلے میں صدقہ فطر کی مقدار مسکین کو دیدے۔
Translation: When a Shaykh-e-Fānī (i.e., an old person who has reached such an age that he is growing in weakness every day) becomes incapable of observing fasts, and there is no hope that they will gain enough strength to fast in the future, then it is allowed for them to skip fasts. But for every fast they must pay a fidyah, i.e., it is wājib upon them to feed a miskīn two filling meals or give the amount of a sadaqah al-fitr to a miskīn for every fast. (Bahār-E-Sharīʿat, Vol. 01, pt. 05, p. 1006, Publ. Maktaba-Tul-Madīnah, Karachi)
If a Shaykh-e-Fānī is a destitute then he must perform istighfār. It is stated in Ḥashiyah al-ShalbīʿAlā Tabyīn al-Ḥaqāʾiq :
فان لم يقدر على الاطعام لفقره يستغفر اللہ تعالى ويستقيله
Translation: If one is not capable of feeding due to being a destitute, they should seek forgiveness from Allāh and repent for their shortcomings. (Ḥashiyah al-Shalbī ʿAlā Tabyīn al- Ḥaqāʾiq, Vol. 02, p. 199, Publ. Beirut)
The Imām of Ahl as-Sunnah, Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رحمة اللہ تعالى عليه states:
جنھیں روزے کی قدرت نہ ہوان پر بدلہ ہے ہر روزے کے عوض ایک مسکین کا کھانا اور جن کو اس کی بھی استطاعت نہ ہو و ہ حصولِ استطاعت کا انتظار کریں اور اپنے رب سے انابت و استغفار کہ وہی قرآن کریم میں فرماتا ہے: ”لَا یُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفْسًا اِلَّا وُسْعَهَا“ خدا کسی کو اس کی طاقت سے زیادہ حکم نہیں دیتا۔
Translation: Those who are unable to observe fasts, they must feed one miskīn for each fast. Those who are unable to do this as well must wait until they gain the ability to do so. Meanwhile, they should repent and seek forgiveness from their lord, for He states in the Noble Qurʾān: Allah does not place a burden upon any soul except to the extent of its strength. (Fatāwā Razawiyah, Vol. 11, p. 221, Publ. Razā Foundation, Lahore)
وَ اللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِہٖ وَ سَلَّم
(Allah Almighty knows best and His Messengerصَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم knows best.)
Answered By: Abu-Muḥammad, Muḥammad Faraz Attari Madani
Verified by: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari
Ref No: OKR-0228
Date: 07th Ramadan al-Mubarak 1447 AH/ 25th February 2026