I reached the age of maturity around fifth grade. Not by getting menses but because of public hair. I was only about 10 years old at the time I think and I didn’t know any better. My parents never made it seem like it was obligatory for me to fast and pray at this age. So I didn’t. At this age I didnt know the importance of prayer and fasting and how it was a major sin to deny both. In Ramadan my my parent let me break my fast with no excuse and sometimes I wouldn’t really fast at all I don’t think. Again, I was never taught or really told by anyone how haram this was. Same thing with prayer. There were many times were I didn’t pray like I should. At this time i Didn’t know I was obligated to give prayer and fasting the importance they deserve. Now I’m 16 and almost a year ago I began to start trying to be a real Muslim. I’ve repented for the mistakes that I’ve made. In order to make up for my prayers I follow the opinion of making lots of sunnah and nafl prayers to make them up. But I’m so lost in how to make up for my fasting. From the time I reached the age of maturity until now it’s been about 7 years. I don’t remember exactly how many days in the past I didn’t fast or that I broke with no excuse in Ramadan. I know other scholars have said just go by what you think is most likely. But that’s too hard for me, most days I don’t remember. So in order to make sure I make up for all of the fasting I didn’t do correctly I’m trying to make up all the days from Ramadan in the past seven years. Which equals to more than 150 days. I dont know how many of these days I neglected or how many of these days I did fast but I just broke without an excuse. It was so long ago. The only thing I’m quite sure of is the Ramadan that just passed and the Ramadan before that. I know how many days I have for those but anything before that I really don’t remember. I saw on islamqa.com that making up for fasts that we’re neglected won’t be counted because the time for them is already over. So now I don’t know what to do as I’ve been trying to make up for them. It’s just one big mess really and I’m scared that maybe I’ll pass away before I get to make up 150+days of fasting. One of the worst parts is, since I have so much fasting to do, I fast several days a week. I’ve had thyroid and low blood sugar problems in past so my mom thinks I shouldn’t fast. Because I fast so much, my mom Thinks I have an eating disorder and she’s threatened to take me to a crisis center for not eating. I thought that maybe because my health problems I wound to have to fast but that hasn’t been confirmed with a doctor and I feel 75-80% fine when I fast. It’s not too difficult so I know I have to. I just don’t know how I’ll continue to make up for all this fasting when my mom threatens me. I’m already quite skinny enough. Sorry for the long background but please advise me on how to make up for all the fasting from the past 6,7 years of Ramadan when I have no idea exactly how many days I neglected or broke without an excuse in some cases. I don’t want to make up more than 150+ of fasting if I don’t have to. It’s also a struggle to keep my fasting a secret since my mom gets mad at me and thinks I’m anorexic.
Answer
Wa’alaykum as Salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
As per the response to your previous query, first determine when exactly did you reach the age of puberty: https://fatwaa.com/how-to-make-up-for-some-neglected-prayers-and-some-with-no-purity/
Once you are aware of how many Ramadhaans have passed, check which were 29 days and which were 30 days.
Due to your health and the fears of your mom, make the firm intention to make up for the fasts, but keep just one fast every week or every second week.
In winter, when the days are much shorter, you may keep more fasts.
Whilst you may pace out the making up of the fasts, you should also update your will. Death is uncertain, and as long as you were trying to make up the fasts to the best of your ability, if you pass away, your heirs can pay Fidya (amount of Sadaqa al-Fitr for each fast) on the remaining fasts, and insha Allah, you will be forgiven.
And Allaah Ta’aala knows best
Wassalaam,
Ismail Moosa (Mufti)
References
قال الحنفيّة : لو أخّر قضاء رمضان بغير عذر ، ثمّ مات قبل رمضان آخر أو بعده ، ولم يقض لزمه الإيصاء بكفّارة ما أفطره بقدر الإقامة من السّفر والصّحّة من المرض وزوال العذر ، ولا يجب الإيصاء بكفّارة ما أفطره على من مات قبل زوال العذر . (الموسوعة الفقهية الكويتية 29/ 72)
الْمَذْهَبُ عِنْدَ أَصْحَابِنَا أَنَّ وُجُوبَ الْقَضَاءِ لَا يَتَوَقَّتُ لِمَا ذَكَرْنَا أَنَّ الْأَمْرَ بِالْقَضَاءِ مُطْلَقٌ عَنْ تَعْيِينِ بَعْضِ الْأَوْقَاتِ دُونَ بَعْضٍ ، فَيَجْرِي عَلَى إطْلَاقِهِ .
وَلِهَذَا قَالَ أَصْحَابُنَا : إنَّهُ لَا يُكْرَهُ لِمَنْ عَلَيْهِ قَضَاءُ رَمَضَانَ أَنْ يَتَطَوَّعَ ، وَلَوْ كَانَ الْوُجُوبُ عَلَى الْفَوْرِ لَكُرِهَ لَهُ التَّطَوُّعُ قَبْلَ الْقَضَاءِ لِأَنَّهُ يَكُونُ تَأْخِيرًا لِلْوَاجِبِ عَنْ وَقْتِهِ الْمَضِيقِ ، وَإِنَّهُ مَكْرُوهٌ ، وَعَلَى هَذَا قَالَ أَصْحَابُنَا : إنَّهُ إذَا أَخَّرَ قَضَاءَ رَمَضَانَ حَتَّى دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ آخَرُ فَلَا فِدْيَةَ عَلَيْهِ . (بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع – 4/ 281)