Fidya Kaffarah Calculator
Calculate fidya and kaffarah amounts for missed Ramadan fasts based on local food costs. Supports Hanafi, Shafi'i, and monetary calculations.
Fidya Kaffarah Calculator
Calculator
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Formula: Fidya = Missed Days x Meal Cost; Kaffarah = Missed Days x 60 x Meal Cost
Worked example — Fidya total: $300 (monetary) or 65.28 kg wheat (Hanafi) or 20.40 kg wheat (Shafi'i)
Formula
Fidya = Missed Days x Meal Cost; Kaffarah = Missed Days x 60 x Meal Cost
Fidya requires feeding one poor person per missed fast day. Kaffarah requires feeding 60 poor people per deliberately broken fast day, or fasting 60 consecutive days per offense. The meal cost should reflect the price of an average meal for a poor person in your locality.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Elderly Person: 30 Days Fidya
Problem:An elderly person cannot fast any day of Ramadan (30 days). Local meal cost is $10. Calculate fidya amount.
Solution:Fidya per day (monetary) = $10 (cost of one meal) Total fidya = $10 x 30 days = $300 Alternatively (Hanafi wheat-based): Wheat per day = 2.176 kg Total wheat = 2.176 x 30 = 65.28 kg At $0.50/kg = $32.64 Shafi'i wheat-based: Wheat per day = 0.68 kg Total wheat = 0.68 x 30 = 20.40 kg At $0.50/kg = $10.20
Result:Fidya total: $300 (monetary) or 65.28 kg wheat (Hanafi) or 20.40 kg wheat (Shafi'i)
Example 2: Kaffarah: 3 Deliberately Broken Fasts
Problem:A person deliberately broke 3 fasts. Local meal cost is $10. Calculate kaffarah.
Solution:Kaffarah per broken fast: Feed 60 poor people Total people to feed = 60 x 3 = 180 Cost = 180 x $10 = $1,800 Alternatively: Fast 60 consecutive days per broken fast Total fasting days = 60 x 3 = 180 days (Each 60-day block must be consecutive)
Result:Kaffarah: Feed 180 people ($1,800) or fast 180 consecutive days (60 per offense)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is fidya and when is it required?
Fidya is a charitable compensation paid by Muslims who are unable to fast during Ramadan due to valid long-term or permanent reasons and cannot make up the fasts later. It applies to individuals who are chronically ill, elderly and frail, pregnant or breastfeeding women who fear for their health or their child, and those with medical conditions that make fasting dangerous. The fidya amount is typically equivalent to feeding one poor person for each missed day of fasting. According to the Hanafi school, this equals half a sa' (approximately 2.176 kg) of wheat or its monetary equivalent per day. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools use a smaller measure of one mudd (approximately 0.68 kg). Fidya should ideally be paid during Ramadan itself.
What is kaffarah and how does it differ from fidya?
Kaffarah is a more severe penalty required when a person deliberately breaks their Ramadan fast without a valid Islamic excuse, such as intentionally eating, drinking, or engaging in intimate relations during fasting hours. Unlike fidya, which is a simple compensation, kaffarah serves as an expiation for the sin of deliberately violating the fast. The kaffarah for each deliberately broken fast day consists of three options in order: freeing a believing slave (no longer applicable), fasting for 60 consecutive days (if one breaks the chain, they must restart), or feeding 60 poor people one meal each. Kaffarah is significantly more costly than fidya because it addresses intentional violation rather than inability to fast.
How is the monetary amount for fidya calculated?
The monetary amount for fidya varies by Islamic school of thought and local conditions. The Hanafi school bases it on half a sa' of wheat, which equals approximately 2.176 kilograms per missed day. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools use one mudd, approximately 0.68 kilograms of the staple food of the region. Many scholars allow paying the equivalent monetary value instead of providing physical food. The monetary equivalent should reflect the cost of providing an average meal to a poor person in your locality. Islamic relief organizations often publish recommended fidya amounts annually, typically ranging from $7 to $15 per day in Western countries. It is recommended to consult with local scholars or mosques for the applicable rate in your area.
Can fidya be paid in advance or all at once?
Scholars differ on the timing of fidya payment. The majority view in the Hanafi school allows paying fidya for the entire month at the beginning of Ramadan or even before it begins, which is practical for elderly individuals who know they cannot fast the entire month. The Shafi'i school generally prefers that fidya be paid day by day as each fast is missed, though paying in advance is permitted by many contemporary scholars. Fidya can be paid to the same poor person for multiple days or distributed among different recipients. Many Muslims choose to pay through established charitable organizations that distribute food on their behalf. It is important to make the intention (niyyah) that the payment is specifically for fidya when giving.
What if someone cannot afford to pay fidya or kaffarah?
Islam takes financial hardship into account in all its rulings. If a person genuinely cannot afford to pay fidya, they are excused from the payment but should make sincere supplication to Allah for forgiveness and intend to pay when their financial situation improves. For kaffarah, the three options are arranged in order of preference, and if a person cannot manage any of them, they should sincerely repent and seek forgiveness. Some scholars suggest that if one cannot pay the full amount, they should pay whatever they can afford. The principle in Islamic jurisprudence is that Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity, as stated in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 286. Consulting with a knowledgeable local imam or scholar is strongly recommended for individual circumstances.
What is the difference between qada and fidya for a missed fast?
Qada means making up the missed day by fasting it later, and it is the default obligation for anyone whose excuse was temporary — illness that passes, travel, menstruation. Fidya is a feeding payment and applies only where the inability is permanent or indefinite, such as chronic illness or advanced age, so that making the day up is not realistically possible. The distinction matters financially: someone with a temporary excuse owes nothing in money and simply fasts the day later, while fidya replaces a fast that will never be performed.
Do pregnant and breastfeeding women owe fidya, qada, or both?
This depends on the reason for not fasting and on the school followed. Where the woman fears harm to herself alone, the schools broadly agree the ruling is that of a sick person: she makes the days up later, with no payment. Where the fear is for the child, the Hanafi position is still qada only, while the Shafi'i and Hanbali positions add a fidya payment for each day alongside making the fast up. Because the outcome differs so sharply, this is a question to settle with a local scholar before calculating an amount.
What are a sa' and a mudd, and why do the two schools give different kilogram figures?
Both are prophetic-era volume measures of staple food, not weights: one sa' equals four mudd, and the amounts were originally scooped rather than weighed. Converting them to kilograms requires assuming a historical ratl weight and a grain density, and the schools inherited different assumptions — which is why a Hanafi half-sa' of wheat and a Shafi'i mudd translate to noticeably different modern figures. The calculator shows both rather than picking one, and since wheat, rice and dates differ in density, the kilogram equivalent also shifts with the staple you actually give.
If someone pays kaffarah, do they still have to make up the fast itself?
Yes. Kaffarah is an expiation for the violation, not a substitute for the day. The majority position is that a person who deliberately broke a Ramadan fast owes both the kaffarah — sixty consecutive fasts or feeding sixty poor people — and a single qada fast to replace the day itself. Note also that the sixty-day option must run unbroken: if the chain is interrupted without a valid excuse the count restarts from day one, which is part of why the feeding option is chosen more often in practice.
Which acts trigger kaffarah rather than only a make-up fast?
Kaffarah attaches to deliberate violation by someone who was obliged to fast and had no excuse. Eating or drinking by genuine forgetfulness does not break the fast at all under the majority view, and breaking a fast because of illness, travel or compulsion requires qada only. Where the schools part is scope: the Shafi'i school confines kaffarah to intercourse during a Ramadan fasting day, whereas the Hanafi school extends it to intentionally eating or drinking as well. Establish which act occurred before assuming the sixtyfold obligation applies.
References
Reviewed for accuracy by Daniel Agrici, Founder & Lead Developer · Editorial policy
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