What Is Fidya? Who Pays It and How Much?

Every Ramadan, millions of Muslims fast from dawn to sunset — but not everyone is able to. For those who cannot fast due to serious illness, old age, or a chronic condition that makes fasting genuinely harmful, Islamic law provides a specific provision. Understanding what is fidya — who it applies to, how it is calculated, and what the schools of thought say — is essential for any Muslim navigating this question for themselves or a family member.

What Is Fidya?

Fidya is an Arabic term referring to a ransom or compensation — in the Islamic legal context, a payment made to feed a person in need in place of a fast that cannot be made up. It is distinct from kaffarah, which is an expiation for deliberately breaking a fast, and from qada, which is simply making up missed fasts at a later date. Fidya applies specifically to those who miss fasts and are permanently unable to make them up.

The basis for fidya is found in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:184): “And upon those who are able to fast with hardship — a ransom (fidya) of feeding a person in need. And whoever volunteers excess — it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew.”

Who Is Required to Pay Fidya?

The key distinction is permanence: fidya applies when there is no reasonable expectation of being able to fast in the future.

The elderly. A person who has reached old age and can no longer fast without genuine harm is not required to make up the fasts — fidya is prescribed instead. Ibn Abbas, the companion of the Prophet (PBUH), is reported to have said that an elderly person who cannot fast should pay fidya for missed fasts.

The chronically ill. A person with a permanent illness that makes fasting medically harmful — and from which recovery is not expected — pays fidya rather than making up the fasts. Scholars across all four schools agree on this category.

Those for whom recovery is not expected. A person who is seriously ill during Ramadan and whose condition is not expected to improve pays fidya rather than deferring the obligation.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are a separate category: they may defer fasts and make them up later, and are not generally required to pay fidya unless they also fear for their child — though the schools differ on this, as discussed below.

How Much Is Fidya? The Amount Per Day

The amount of fidya per missed fast is based on feeding one person in need for each day missed. The Prophet (ﷺ) established the standard measure as one mudd of food — a unit equivalent to approximately 750 grams of a staple food such as wheat, rice, or dates. The fidya amount per day is the monetary equivalent of one meal — tied to the average cost of a staple meal in the donor’s own household, not a fixed universal figure.

Calculating Your Total Fidya Donation

For a full month of Ramadan — thirty fasts — fidya covers thirty people in need with one meal each, or one person in need with thirty meals. The relevant calculation is: what does a basic meal cost in your household, multiplied by the number of days missed. Giving through an organisation that distributes food in lower-income countries means the same amount reaches people in greater need — though the qualifying condition remains that recipients are genuinely in need (fuqara’).

A fidya donation can be given at any point — before, during, or after Ramadan. A fidya obligation from a previous Ramadan remains valid; there is no scholarly position that the obligation expires.

A Genuine Scholarly Disagreement: Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

The Hanafi school holds that pregnant and breastfeeding women who miss fasts due to fear for themselves or their child are required only to make up the missed fasts (qada) when they are able — no fidya is required in addition. The Shafi‘i and Hanbali schools hold that if a woman breaks her fast out of fear for her child only — not for herself — she is required to both make up the fasts and pay fidya for each missed day. The Maliki school holds that pregnant and breastfeeding women who miss fasts are required only to make up the fasts — no fidya is prescribed in addition. If you are unsure which applies to you, consult your local scholar or imam.

Giving Fidya Through Human Appeal

Human Appeal accepts fidya donations and distributes them as food to families in genuine need across its countries of operation, including Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, and Pakistan, where recipients qualify under the standard Islamic criteria for those in need. A fidya obligation from a previous Ramadan remains valid and can be fulfilled at any time.

Sources

• Quran: Surah Al-Baqarah (2:184) — Quranic basis for fidya
• Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 4505 — Ibn Abbas on fidya for the elderly
• Human Appeal: Internal programme report, 2023–2026

By Human Appeal

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