It is Eid: What about the expiatory (kaffara) fasts I am in the middle of? An example of the importance of acting on sound knowledge

 

I am currently in the middle of my kaffara and need some advice. As Eid is coming up am I allowed to miss a day (and if so how many - as Eid is 3 days) since I have heard that fasting on Eid is haram. If I do this, do I just carry on with my kaffara after Eid? Please could you clarify if it is haram or highly disliked, and if so how many days one can miss (or not) in the given situation.

Walaikum assalam,

Both Bukhari and Muslim relate that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) forbade fasting on the Eid days.

Unfortunately, even if you fasted on the Eid days, your expiatory fasts (kaffara) would not be valid. (In other schools, even the fast itself is not counted, because of the hadiths transmitted forbidding fasting on Eid days).

It is sinful and prohibited to fast on during the days of Eid. As such, fasting on such days would be deficient and would not fulfill the requirement of fasting 60 consecutive full fast, as mentioned by the scholars of the Hanafi school. [ref: al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya; Shurunbulali, Imdad al-Fattah Sharh Nur al-Idah p. 650; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

As such, you would have to re-start your expiatory fasts (kaffara) after the Eid Days are over.

And Allah alone gives success.

Walaikum assalam,

Faraz Rabbani.

في الفتاوى الهندية:

إذَا كَفَّرَ بِالصِّيَامِ وَأَفْطَرَ يَوْمًا بِعُذْرِ مَرَضٍ أَوْ سَفَرٍ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْتَأْنِفُ الصَّوْمَ وَكَذَا لَوْ جَاءَ يَوْمُ الْفِطْرِ أَوْ يَوْمُ النَّحْرِ أَوْ أَيَّامُ التَّشْرِيقِ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْتَأْنِفُ الصَّوْمَ فَإِنْ صَامَ هَذِهِ الْأَيَّامَ وَلَمْ يُفْطِرْ فَإِنَّهُ يَسْتَأْنِفُ أَيْضًا كَذَا فِي الْجَوْهَرَةِ النَّيِّرَةِ .

قال الإمام الشرنبلالي (رحمه الله تعالى) في إمداد الفتّاح شرح نور الإيضاح: (ص 650 ط دمشق 2002)

(... صام شهرَين متتابعَين ليس فيهما يوم عيدٍ ولا أيّام التشريق) للنهي عن صيامهما.