Who is required to give fidyah for fasting?
Fidyah—feeding one needy person for each missed fasting day—is required for:
1. Those who are permanently unable to fast, such as:
○ Elderly men and women who are too weak to fast.
○ People with chronic illnesses that have no hope of recovery.
2. Pregnant or breastfeeding women who break their fast out of fear for their child (fetus or infant).
3. A person who delays making up Ramadan fasts (qada) until the next Ramadan begins, without a valid excuse.
4. The estate of a deceased person who had missed obligatory fasts and had the ability to make them up but did not do so.
What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks while uncertain about the arrival of dawn, then later finds out that dawn had not yet broken?
If a person does this, their fast remains valid, as it is confirmed that they ate during the night. Similarly, if someone eats while uncertain and remains unsure whether they ate before or after dawn, their fast is still valid. This is based on the maxim of Sharia Law, which states: "Certainty is not removed by doubt." Certainty, here, is the presence of night, and the doubt concerns the arrival of dawn. Therefore, one relies on certainty and disregards doubt.
What is the ruling on storing the meat of sacrificial animals and distributing it throughout the year?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is disliked (makruh) to store or preserve the meat of sacrificial animals (udhiyah), whether for a short or long period, provided that the sacrifice is slaughtered within its prescribed lawful time, while also taking care to prevent the meat from spoiling. And Allah Almighty knows best.
Is it permissible for a woman to observe voluntary fast without her husband's permission?
A woman is not permitted to observe a voluntary fast (nafl) while her husband is present without his permission.