He started to fast two consecutive months then Ramadaan began. Should he stop the consecutive fasts?

Question

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

Whoever has intercourse
with his wife during the day in Ramadaan has sinned and must offer
expiation, which is to free a slave. If that is not possible then he must
fast for two consecutive months. If he cannot fast, then he must feed sixty
poor persons. It is not permissible for him to feed poor persons if he is
able to fast.

The evidence that it is
obligatory to offer expiation for having intercourse during the day in
Ramadaan is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (1963) from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “Whilst we were sitting with the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man came to him and
said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I am doomed!’ He said, ‘What happened to you?’
He said: ‘I had intercourse with my wife whilst I was fasting.’ The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked:
‘Could you find a slave you could set free?’ He said, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Are
you able to fast for two consecutive months?’ He said, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Can
you feed sixty poor persons?’…”

This hadeeth indicates that
the fast of two months must be consecutive, because the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Are you able to fast for two
consecutive months?”

If a person begins to fast,
then Ramadaan comes, he should fast Ramadaan, then break his fast for Eid,
then complete the fast of two months, and not start fasting again from the
beginning, because the Ramadaan fast does not affect the continuity of his
fast.

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: If a person begins to fast in expiation for zihaar
[a jaahili and haraam form of divorce] at the beginning of Sha’baan, he
should break his fast on the day of [Eid] al-Fitr and then carry on. The
same applies to one who begins [such a fast] at the beginning of
Dhu’l-Hijjah; he should break his fast on the Day of Sacrifice [Eid al-Adha]
and the days of al-Tashreeq, and then continue on the basis of his previous
fasts.

To sum up: If the fast in
expiation for zihaar is interrupted by a day on which his expiatory fast is
not valid, such as if he begins fasting at the beginning of Sha’baan then is
interrupted by Ramadaan and the day of al-Fitr, or he begins in Dhu’l-Hijjah
then is interrupted by the day of sacrifice and the days of al-Tashreeq,
then the continuity is not affected by that, and he should carry on from
where he left off, on the basis of the fasts he has already completed. End
quote from al-Mughni (8/29).

Secondly:

It is not essential to feed
the sixty poor persons in one go; rather he may feed one group, then feed
another group, at different times, until he has fed sixty. For more
information please see the answer to question no.
1672.

And Allaah knows best.