Presenter:
May Allāh thank you. This message is from ʿ. B. Al-ʿUtaybī. He says in his message: He who did not fast Ramaḍān due to ignorance and negligence, keeping in mind that the year he did not fast is the first year of his or her maturation, benefit us regarding that, may Allāh bless you.
Shaykh Muḥammad bn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn:
His question is composed of two traits. He says: due to his ignorance and negligence. And there is a great difference between both of them. If he left fasting due to his ignorance, he thinks fasting is not compulsory upon him, like a woman getting matured by menstruation while still small, and she does not think maturation occurs except with the completion of fifteen years, then it is compulsory upon her to repay Ramaḍān, because obligations do not drop due to ignorance.
And this issue occurs a lot to some of the women that got matured by menstruation while still small, so she is shy of informing her household that she has menstruated so you will find her not fasting, and sometimes she fasts, even on her period.
So we say to those that did not fast: it is compulsory for you to repay the months [of Ramaḍān] you did not fast after your maturation.
And we say to the second one that used to fast during her period: it is compulsory for you to pay back what you fasted during menstruation, because fasting during menstruation is not valid.
As for his statement: out of negligence; what is apparent is that he meant he did not fast out of negligence of fasting, despite his knowledge of its obligation.
So if the affair is as I understood; whoever abandons fasting Ramaḍān out of negligence of it despite his knowledge of its obligation, repaying it does not benefit him, and it will not be accepted from him, even if he fasts a thousand months.
And that is because the fixed acts of worship with an appointed time, in its beginning and end, it is not correct for it to occur except within that appointed time.
So, whoever does it before its time comes in, it will not be accepted from him, and whoever does it after the exit of its time, it will not be accepted from him, except if he is excused with a [valid] legislative excuse that makes delaying it permissible for him. And this is general to all fixed acts of worship.
And based on this, whoever abandons Ṣalāh out of negligence, for a known period, however, he did not abandon it totally, like him praying a day and leaving it a day, then repaying the day he abandoned Ṣalāh in will not benefit him. Because, repaying it after the exit of its time, without any excuse, is not accepted, due to the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “Whoever does an action which we did not order with, it will be rejected.”
So based on this, so say to the one who abandoned fasting the month of Ramaḍān out of negligence: indeed, repaying it will not benefit you. However, upon you is to repent to Allāh, the Exalted and Most High, and do a lot of good deeds, and do not return to the like of this action. It is Allāh that grants success.
Source: Fatāwá Nūr ʿalá ad-Darb Tape No. 132. Click here.
