Asalaamu alaikum Mufti saheb,
I have some fasts that I must make up from when I was younger. The fasts that I must make up were from several different Ramadhans. Since a lot of time has passed, I can not remember how many fasts from each particular Ramadan I missed. The best I can do is make a rough estimate of how many fasts I have to make up in total.
Is it okay therefore when making my intention for the Qadha fast to simply say I am fasting to make up the first fast that I missed. Or must I specify the year?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu
It is not necessary for a person who has Qadha (missed) fast to remember the exact date when making up for the Qadha. Ulama suggest that if a person has several years of Qadha Fast and he does not remember the number of Fast he missed, then he should adopt the following method in completing his missed Fast:
It will suffice for a person to merely say in his intention that this is a Qadha of the first (or last) Fast he missed. He should continue with this intention until he has total conviction that he has fulfilled all his Qadha fasts.[1]
And Allah Ta’ala knows best
Mufti Luqman Hansrot
Fatwa Dept.
[1] وإذا كثرت الفوائت يحتاج لتعيين كل صلاة فإن أراد تسهيل الأمر عليه نوى أول ظهر عليه أو آخره وكذا الصوم من رمضان.
(نور الإيضاح – ص100 )