Answered by Not Assigned
Can my mother just pay some expiation instead of making up all the fasts she missed when pregnant way back? She is not elderly, but isn’t so strong physically?
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
As long as she is not elderly and physically unable to fast, she has to make up those fasts.
The simple way is to:
a) make a reasonable estimate of the fasts missed;
b) have the firm resolve to make up these fasts;
c) take reasonable and sustainable (but consistent) means to make up the fasts, such as fasting Mondays and Thursdays.
If she does this, the fasts will be made up very soon, and she’ll find tremendous blessings and ease in both her worldly and spiritual life, for Allah Most High has promised in the rigorously authenticated hadith qudsi on the tongue of His Beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him),
“If My servant draws close to me by a handspan, I draw close to him by an arm’s length. If he draws close to me by an arm’s length, I draw close to him by a fathom. And if he comes walking to Me, I rush to him.” [Bukhari]
This coming walking to Allah,’ points to the greatness of consistent spiritual works: they are the means of Allah’s rushing’ to the servant with Divine closeness, favor, assistance, and all good in this life and the next.
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani