Q&A: Qadha and Kaffaarah of Ramadhaan

Q. My husband is keeping 60 kaffaarah fasts for intentionally breaking his fast during his young days. We heard a mufti on radio saying that you have to keep 60 plus 1 extra fast qaza? He also read from the Behshti Zewar that if a person breaks a few fasts in the same Ramadhaan then only one kaffaarah will be waajib. How exactly does the kaffaarah work? Say if he missed 3 fasts for one Ramadhaan, does he have to keep 60 plus 3 qaza?

A. Kaffaarah is for breaking a fast intentionally. Furthermore, one kaffaarah is obligatory for a single Ramadhaan. Thus, if a person broke three fasts intentionally in one Ramadhaan he has to keep qadha of three fasts and only one kaffaarah.

It is not necessary for the three qadha fasts to be kept with the kaffaarah. Only the sixty days kaffaarah has to be kept in sequence. The qadha fasts can be kept at any time; however, it should not be delayed unnecessarily.