Q: When a person became baaligh, he was not allowed to fast by his mother due to him being asthmatic. His mother would take out fidyah for him each year instead of him fasting. This carried on for ten years until he got married. After marriage, his wife told him to try fasting, and he managed and was fasting ever since. Now he has reached old age, and he will not be physically able to fast the ten years fast that he missed.
1. Will the fidyah given by his mother while he was young be sufficient as compensation for the missed fasts?
2. If not, what can he do now to compensate for the fasts missed?
A: Since he was able to fast during his life, the fidyah which his mother gave on his behalf was not valid and he was supposed to keep qadha for all the fasts he missed during his life. However, now that he has reached old age and is unable to fast, he should pay the fidyah for all those fasts that he missed during his life.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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