What should a 28-year-old married woman, who became observant a year ago and had not consistently fasted Ramadan since puberty, do to make up for the years of missed fasting and prayers?

Praise be to Allah for guidance and uprightness, and may He keep us firm in obedience.

Abandoning prayer is considered a major disbelief that expels one from the fold of Islam according to some scholars. If the abandonment was permanent, then there is no make-up for the missed prayers and fasts. Instead, one must increase in supererogatory acts of worship and offer sincere repentance.

However, if the abandonment of prayer was not permanent, then one must make up for the missed fasts for all the years that have passed since puberty, along with feeding a poor person for each day delayed. This amounts to 750 grams of rice or other staple food. The expiation for each month is 22.5 kilograms of rice or other staple food.

As for making up the missed prayers in this case, the majority of scholars deem it obligatory, and it is safer to act according to the view of the majority.

And Allah knows best.