Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
If one broke a fast in Ramadan intentionally during the previous ramadhan/s, when one was not practicing, and due to ignorance, not knowing the consequence of breaking a fast deliberately, what is the ruling or expiation for this, and if one can’t remember how many fast one broke?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
I commend your concern for your past acts of worship, which contravened the obligatory fasts of Ramadan. One should repent firstly to Allah (Most High) and seek His forgiveness. This is a debt that one owes Allah (Most High).
In the above case, one expiation (kaffara) will suffice for one or many major violations in previous Ramadan fasts.
One does not need to perform a separate expiation for each occurrence. One single expiation will be sufficient as a penalization and future deterrence. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
I hope this helps.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani