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Fatwa CenterThe fasting of mentally disordered people
Question
My grandmother is old and suffers from amnesia sometimes. When we tell her that Ramadhaan has begun, she refuses to believe us and eats by day in Ramadhaan despite her physical capacity. What is the expiation due from us?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
If your grandmother has lost her mental faculties, then she is not obliged to fast during the times she loses her mental faculties, because she is not eligible for religious obligations. No makeup or expiation is due from her if she regains her reason, according to the opinion of the majority of scholars.
If she sometimes regains her reason by day in Ramadan, she does not have to fast the rest of the day but should make up for the days when her reason returns. This resembles the case of someone who had an excuse but his excuse was eliminated during the day. If she is incapable of making up for these days, she should feed a poor person for every day she did not fast while in possession of her mental faculties.
Allaah Knows best.
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