Us salaam alaikum wa rehmathullahi wa barakatuhu.
Inshallah you all are doing well. I wanted to inform you of a correction in a previous post I had written, “A Creative Way to Lift a Burden.” In the post I had written how one could pay their fidiyah by purchasing FEED bags from Whole Foods. My dear group in charge (May Allah bless her and her family) from Al Huda Institute emailed me asking if it was ok to pay the fidiyah to Non-Muslims. Alhumdulilah for her asking this very important question that did not occur to me.
That same weekend of her inquiry, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi (May Allah accept his good deeds) was in Chicago to teach an Al Maghrib Class. The question was forwarded to him and he said that the fidiyah MUST be given to Muslims, unless it is absolutely impossible. Which in most cases it is very easy to feed needy Muslims through organizations such as Islamic Relief. I also went on Wikipedia to check the demographic statistics of Rwanda (the country in which the children are given food if the “FEED” bags are purchased) to see if the majority by any chance was Muslim, it was not.
Therefore I will have to repay my fidiyah. I will most likely pay it through Islamic Relief. If you purchased these bags in order to pay your fidiyah please understand that you MUST REPAY the FIDIYAH. If you go through Islamic Relief or any other organization make sure you specify the money to go towards the feeding of people. Another idea could be to send money to relatives back home and have them feed the needy Muslims in their local area.
I also had the question of how much money would one have to pay. Usually if you are feeding people you calculate how much one average meal would cost and multiply it by the number of people you need to feed (1 person for every fast missed). So for an example, you can get a good meal for $5.00 in the United States, I missed 30 days of fasts so that’s 30 people x $5.00=$150. I would send a check to the designated organization of $150 to feed the needy Muslims. Allah knows best.
I ask Allah the Most Merciful to forgive me if I have led anyone astray, indeed He is the most knowledgeable in all that we do in action and in heart. I ask Allah to accept all of our good deeds. And for those who have purchased these bags, I ask Allah to accept this act as a charitable act in and of itself.
Your Sister in Islam,
Farah Anwarullah
June 18th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Assalam alaikum sis,
Just wondering…have you considered the opinions that say you must make up the days you missed, unless you absolutely are unable to? If you’re following AlMaghrib shuyookh, this is the opinion of Sh. Muhammad AlShareef - I asked him during Rizq Management (fiqh of sawm, zakah, Hajj). Just wanted to mention this point.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Walikum us salaam Sister.
Jazakallah khair for the comment!
The previous post I had written, which of course I took down due to the error, I mentioned the three different opinions regarding this matter.
In summary:
1. Make up the fasts
2. Make up the fasts and pay fidiyah
3. Pay the fidiyah
I personally follow the opinion that says to make up the fasts and pay the fidiyah. I feel most strongly about this opinion because if you pay the fidiyah right after the fasts you missed, you’re covered in case you die before you are able to make up the fasts. But I still have the intention to make up the fasts. So that way Im covered both ways.
Allah knows best.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:14 am
I remember being told that the fidya is about how much one pays for an average meal/ buffet $6.95 or so.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Mariam:
One will find various opinions from different shuyukh as to what the fidiyah is per person. I was told $5.00 is a good rate.
Again, the best thing is to ask a trusted Sheikh and follow that opinion. You will find differing opinions. Allah knows best.
May Allah accept all of our good deeds. Ameen.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Assalam alaikum sis,
Jazakallah Khairan for clarifying. I agree with you and have done the same.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Just to clarify- if you follow the opinion that one must pay and make up the fast, then if you pay but die before making up the fasts however with the intention to do so, then you are covered? Even though you haven’t made them up?
JAK
July 5th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Us salaam alaikum Nadia.
To answer your question, if you follow the opinion that one must pay and makeup the fasts if you pay but die before making up the fasts with the intention of doing so then YES you would be covered. This goes with any action not only in the case of fasting. If you were obligated to do something and you had sincere intentions of doing the act but died then the obligation would be waived. Surely Allah is the Most Merciful. Allah knows best.
But do remember that it is very important to make every effort to make up those fasts. Even if you fast once a week for starters this is ensuring yourself that you are working towards completing your obligation. This is a reminder for myself as well.