If you are unable to fast during Ramadan, or deliberately miss a fast, then you need to make up for this at a later date.
For those that are unable to fast for a valid reason, including illness, travel or because of medication, then Fidya must be paid. For those that deliberately miss a fast, you can make up for this with a continuous 60-day fast or feed 60 poor and needy people for each missed fast.
Both Fidya and Kaffara are compulsory payments for all Muslims who are eligible to take part in fasting during Ramadan:
WHAT IS FIDYA?
Fidya is an obligatory penalty that must be paid to make up for missing a fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Fidya is due if you are unable to complete a fast because of a valid reason, such as: medical conditions, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and travelling. You must pay Fidya for not fasting.
HOW MUCH IS FIDYA FOR RAMADAN 2025?
The Fidya amount for Ramadan 2025 is £5 a day. This cost covers the amount needed to provide one person with two meals for one full day. If you are unable to fast for the full duration of Ramadan, then the total Fidya you must pay is 30 x the cost. For example, if Fidya is £5, then the amount due for the whole month would be £150.
WHAT IS KAFFARA
Kaffara is an obligatory penalty that must be paid for deliberately missing a fast during the holy month of Ramadan, without a valid reason. If you have a valid reason, then you must pay Fidya. The kaffara penalty is much higher than that of Fidya and should be avoided where possible.
HOW MUCH IS KAFFARA FOR BREAKING A FAST?
If you break a fast and are liable to pay Kaffara, then you must make this up by either fasting for 60 continuous days or feed 60 people in need, at the daily Fidya rate per person. For example, if Fidya is £5 per day, then to cover the cost of feeding 60 people you must pay £300 for each missed fast.
If you are unable to fast due to your age or a medical condition, then a 60-day continuous fast may not an option. This is a situation where you would make Fidya payments of £5 per missed day – though this can be completed in a single bulk payment if you know you will be missing multiple days.
If you are legitimately sick and have been advised against fasting by a medical professional, missing your fast can be repaid in the form of £5 Fidya payments per missed day. On the other hand, if you are sick but still capable of fasting safely and choose not to fast, you must pay Kaffara by completing 60 days of continuous fast or donating funds to feed 60 people in need, per missed fast.
If you begin your Kaffara on the first day of the Islamic month, then fasting continuously for two full Islamic months will suffice for the Kaffara.
The only exceptions for Kaffara are valid medical reasons, such as medical conditions, pregnancy, breastfeeding or travelling. Any woman that deliberately misses a fast and chooses a continuous 60-day fast to make it up is allowed to postpone fasting days for menstruation, however, this is the only interruption allowed.
Fasting during Ramadan is an obligation on all able Muslims and is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, along with faith, prayer, alms (charity giving) and pilgrimage. Abstaining between the hours of sunrise and sunset allows for a period of spiritual reflection and improvement of the self as well as the practising self-discipline and control.
During this time, Muslims are able to develop a closer relationship with Allah (SWT) and feel more connected with both family and Islam.
By missing one of these fundamental aspects of Islam, whether with a valid reason or not, Muslims are obligated to pay Kaffara or Fidya. Charity, as well as compulsory payments like these, emphasise just what an important aspect of Islam the holy month of Ramadan is.
The cost of Fidya is calculated based on the cost of feeding a person two meals per day of wheat, rice or other local staple crop where the donor resides.