Ruling on one who has not made up fasts that she owes from two years ago and is still unable to make them up

Question

Praise be to Allah.

If the woman who is pregnant —
and likewise the woman who is breastfeeding — fears for
herself or her child, she may break the fast in Ramadan, and
she only has to make up those days, because she comes under
the same heading as a sick person who is excused because of
his sickness. This has been discussed the answers to
questions no. 50005 and
49848.

Then if she is able to make them
up before the next Ramadan, she is obliged do that and it is
not permissible for her to delay until the next Ramadan
begins. If her excuse remains in effect because of a new
pregnancy or breastfeeding or sickness or travel, until the
next Ramadan begins, then there is no sin on her and she has
to make it up when she is able to do that.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih
al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was
asked:

There was a woman who did not
fast in Ramadan because of nifaas (postpartum bleeding) and
she could not make up the fasts because of breastfeeding,
before the next Ramadan came. What does she have to
do?

He replied:

What this woman has to do is
fast to make up the days when she did not fast, even if that
is after the following Ramadan, because she only refrained
from making them up between the first Ramadan and the next
because of this excuse. But if it is not difficult for her to
make them up during the winter, even if it is day after day,
then she has to do that, even if she is breastfeeding. So she
should be keen to do as much as she can in order to make up
last Ramadan before the next Ramadan comes. But if she cannot
do that, there is nothing wrong with delaying it until the
next Ramadan comes. End quote.

(19/answer to question no.
360)

He (may Allah have mercy on him)
was also asked:

There is a woman who did not
fast the month of Ramadan because of childbirth, and she has
not made up that month. That was a long time ago and she is
not able to fast. What is the ruling?

He replied:

What this woman has to do is
repent to Allah from what she has done, because it is not
permissible for a person to delay making up Ramadan until the
next Ramadan comes except for a legitimate shar‘i excuse. So
she has to repent, then if she is able to fast, even if it is
day after day, then she should fast. If she cannot do that,
then she should see: if it is for an ongoing reason, then she
should feed one poor person for each day. If it is for a
temporary reason that it is hoped will disappear, she should
wait until it disappears, then she should make up the days
she owes. End quote.

(10/answer to question no.
361)

The questioner did not state the
reason for her sister being unable to make up the fasts. If
the excuse is temporary and it is hoped that it will come to
an end (pregnancy, breastfeeding or sickness), then she has
to make it up if she is able to do so.

If the excuse is permanent
because of chronic sickness for which there is no hope of a
cure, then she does not have to make up, but she has to feed
one poor person for each day.

And Allah knows
best.