Back to search

What is the interpretation of the Noble Verse: (And upon those who can afford it, a ransom of feeding a poor person)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The verse: ﴿وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ﴾ (And for those who can bear it with difficulty, is a ransom of feeding a poor person) was a facilitation at the beginning of the فرض (obligation) of fasting. Its meaning was that whoever was capable of fasting but chose not to, had to pay a ransom. The Muslim was given a choice between fasting or breaking the fast and paying the ransom. Then this verse was abrogated by the verse: ﴿فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ﴾ (So whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast it), and fasting became a definitive obligation upon those who are able.

It is also said that the verse refers to those who bear fasting with extreme difficulty, such as the elderly and the sick whose recovery is not expected. For them, there is a ransom for each day they break their fast.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy