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Fatwa CenterNot Stipulated To Offer Expiation In Full All At Once
Question
I broke my fast for several days in Ramadan because I was pregnant. I did not make up for that until now. I know that I have to offer an expiation and feed ten poor persons for each day that I missed. My question is: What is the value of the expiation for each person, knowing that I live in UAE? Can I offer expiation in several stages due to my financial conditions?
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 
is His slave and Messenger.
If a woman fears harm for herself and her child because of fasting, then she is allowed to stop fasting but she has to make up for the days that she does not fast because of the hadith reported from Anas in which the Messenger of Allaah said: “Allaah, the Great and Almighty, has relieved the traveler of fasting and of half of the prayer (i.e. he can shorten it) and the pregnant and the breastfeeding woman from fasting.” [Abu Daawood, At-Tirmithi and Ibn Maajah]
However, if she fears harm for the child only, then as well as making up for the missed fasts, then, according to the majority of Muslim scholars, she also has to offer expiation. This is also the opinion of Ibn ‘Abbas and Ibn ‘Umar, and we do not know any scholar who goes against it.
Hastening to make up for missed fasting is required, and it is not permissible to delay it until the coming of the next Ramadan because of the hadith of ‘Aa’ishah 
in which she said: “Sometimes, I missed some days of Ramadan but could not make up fasting except in the month of Sha‘baan.” [Al-Bukhari]
According to the majority of the scholars, whoever delays making up for missed fasts without a sharia-approved excuse until the coming of the next Ramadan is required to make up for those missed days and offer an expiation. Moreover, some of the companions 
held the same opinion.
Expiation is to feed one poor person for each day that one did not fast—not ten, as you mentioned. Allaah Almighty says (what means): {... a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]...} [Quran 2: 184]
Its amount is a mudd of food (i.e. volumetric measure [a handful]) equaling approximately 750 grams of rice).
If one invites a poor person to lunch or dinner, then this will be sufficient for him, as stated by Imam Ahmad 
. It is not valid as an expiation to give its value in money according to the majority of scholars.
It is not stipulated to offer all expiations (obligatory upon you) all at once. Rather, there is no blame to offer it according to your financial ability.
Allaah Knows best.
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