Hanafi ruling on missed fasts for 12 year old girl

Answer (Jawab)
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

We appreciate your sincere desire to rectify past shortcomings. May Allah accept your repentance and grant you strength to fulfill your obligations. Below is the detailed ruling according to the Hanafi school, based on the books you have requested.

1. The Two Years You Deliberately Did Not Fast (Class 7 & 8 – age 12–13)

Ruling

• Once a girl reaches puberty (which in the Hanafi school is generally at the onset of menstruation or by age 9 lunar years), fasting becomes obligatory. You were 12–13, so fasting was fard.
• Deliberately missing a fast without a valid shar‘i excuse is a major sin. Two obligations arise:
  • Qada (make-up): Each missed day must be fasted later.
  • Kaffarah (expiation): For each deliberately missed day, one must either fast 60 consecutive days or feed 60 poor people (one fidyah meal per poor person per day). This is due to the severity of intentionally invalidating a Ramadan fast (Radd al-Muhtar, 2/402; Fatawa Alamgiri, 1/207).

Your Situation

• You acted on your mother’s advice and did not know the ruling. This ignorance reduces the sin but does not remove the obligation of qada and kaffarah according to the majority of Hanafi scholars.

• Qada: You must make up 60 fasts (30 days × 2 Ramadans).

• Kaffarah (concession): Feed 60 poor people (one per missed day) or give the monetary equivalent (approx. $2–$3 per day in your country). If kaffarah is still possible and you wish to do it, the 60 consecutive fasts option is also valid.

References:
Radd al-Muhtar (2/402–403), Fatawa Usmani (9/87–88), Bahishti Zewar (Rules of Fasting).

2. Fasts Missed Due to Menstruation (2017 – 2022)

Ruling

• Fasts missed due to menstruation are not sinful – they are validly broken. However, qada is obligatory.
• If you delay making up these fasts without a valid excuse (e.g., continuous illness, breastfeeding) until after the next Ramadan, you become liable to give fidyah (feeding one poor person) for each day delayed, only once – regardless of how many years have passed. Additional years do not add extra fidyah, but the sin of delay continues (Radd al-Muhtar, 2/414–416; Imdad al-Fatawa, 3/220).

Your Situation

• You never made up menstrual fasts from 2017 (Class 9) until 2022 – that is 6 Ramadans (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).
• Typically, a woman misses 6–7 days per Ramadan. For safety, assume 7 days per year → 42 missed fasts.
• Obligations:
  • Qada: Make up 42 fasts.
  • Fidya: Give one fidyah (feed one poor person or give monetary equivalent) for each of these 42 days.

References:
Radd al-Muhtar (2/414–416), Fatawa Usmani (9/93–94), Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar (2/85).

3. Summary of All Obligations

| Category | Number of Days | Qada (Make‑up) | Fidya / Kaffarah Required | |----------|---------------|----------------|----------------------------| | Deliberately missed (age 12–13) | 60 days | Make up 60 fasts | Either full kaffarah (feed 60 poor per day) OR fidya (feed 1 poor per day) as concession | | Menstrual fasts missed (2017–2022) | ~42 days (calculate exactly) | Make up 42 fasts | One fidyah per day (feed 1 poor per day) | | Total | ~102 days | Make up 102 fasts | Fidya for 42 days + (if applying concession) fidya for 60 days = 102 fidyah total. If doing full kaffarah for deliberate days, that is separate. |

Important:

• You must also give fidyah for the menstrual fasts before making up can be considered fully discharged.
• The fidyah for deliberate days (concession) can be combined with the menstrual fidyah – i.e., give 102 fidyah total (feed 102 poor people or give equivalent cash).

4. How to Properly Make Up the Missed Fasts

1. Make a sincere intention (niyyah) for each missed day:
   “I intend to make up one missed fast of Ramadan for the sake of Allah.”
2. Observe the fast from dawn to sunset on any day except the two ‘Eids and the days of tashriq (11th–13th Dhul Hijjah).
3. Give the fidyah: For each missed day (whether deliberate or menstrual) give one sadaqah meal to a poor person, or its cash value (approx. $2–$3 or the cost of a full meal in your area). You may give the fidyah all at once or gradually.
   • If you choose to do full kaffarah for the deliberate days (60 consecutive fasts or feeding 60 poor per day), then you do not give fidyah for those days. But the concession of fidyah is easier.
4. Repent (tawbah) sincerely for the past negligence and resolve not to repeat it.
5. Du‘a: “Rabbi inni limaa anzalta ilayya min khairin faqir” (Surah Al-Qasas 28:24).

Practical schedule:

• You can make up fasts on weekends, holidays, or any free day.
• If 102 days seem too much, spread them over 2–3 years, but try to do as many as possible each month.
• The fidyah can be given before or after making up the fasts – but it is better to give it before the next Ramadan.

5. Final Advice

• Do not be overwhelmed by the number. Allah knows your sincerity and accepts gradual efforts.
• Talk to your mother kindly about Islamic rules; she may also need to make up some fasts.
• Keep a written record of the number of fasts made up and fidyah given, to avoid confusion.
• Consult a local scholar or mufti if you need further clarification on kaffarah vs. fidyah for the deliberate days, especially if you are unable to calculate exactly.

May Allah make this easy for you, accept your repentance, and grant you strength to complete these obligations. Ameen.

References:
Al-Hidayah (1/130), Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar (2/85), Fatawa Alamgiri (1/207), Bahishti Zewar (Fasting Section), Usul al-Shashi (principles of obligation).