Part 4 : WHO ARE NOT OBLIGED TO FAST BUT MUST PAY SOME COMPENSATION :

Part 4 : *** WHO ARE NOT OBLIGED TO FAST BUT MUST PAY SOME COMPENSATION :

Elderly men and women, the terminally ill (who have no hope of being cured of their illness) and all those in comparable situations who find it difficult to fast are allowed to abstain from fasting. They do not have to make up for the missed days, but are required to feed a poor person a Mudd of food (mudd ( مد ) is a smaller container, close to the size of a small salad bowl.) for each day of fasting that they missed. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) says:
"And as for those who can fast (but) with difficulty (e.g. an old person, etc.), they have (a choice either to FAST or) to FEED a poor person (for every day of their missed fast)." (2:184)

In some circumstances, a Muslim is not able to fulfill his or her religious obligation to fast during the month of Ramadan, or may want to recompense for a broken fast. Fidya and kaffara are two solutions offered that can help a Muslim compensate for not fasting or breaking other obligations—paying of fidya or kaffara also benefits members of the community who live in impoverished conditions.We will highlight these two topics in detail here.

FIDYA :

“Fidya” is a donation type within the Islamic tradition paid by individuals who cannot fulfill the obligation of fasting due to illness or old age. Fidya payments are meant to feed a miskeen (person in need) for each of the fasting days missed, and are equivalent to the price of one meal each for two people or two meals for one person.
Note : That price (of fidya) is based on the average cost of a basic meal throughout the country or whichever the person who is paying fidya is living.

Benefits of fidya :

With the advent of Islam, only the physically unfit were allowed to pay Fidya. In the pre-Islamic times, the believers were either required to fast or give a fixed amount of food or money to the poor to make up for a fast. This was called Fidya, and usually the rich used to give Fidya to escape the hardships of fasting.This ensured uniformity between the rich and the poor. If the rich never fast and keep paying Fidya, they can never understand the trauma of an empty belly. Also, it inculcates in them pride and love for their wealth, as they start to believe that they can escape religious obligations merely by paying a certain amount of money. Thus, the fact that every rich person cannot pay Fidya is actually a blessing from Allah Almighty, as it allows them to stand in line with the unprivileged of the society and bridge the gap separating these two socially different classes.In sha Allah,this we will continue in our next post.