Kaffarah
*Kaffarah* is a fixed act of expiation, in a set sequence of feeding, fasting or freeing, for a specific serious violation.
What it means for me: Kaffarah is not a fine you set yourself, nor charity in an amount you choose. Its kind and amount are already fixed in the sources. This is why a mufti asks for the cause first, because the cause decides which kaffarah applies.
Example: A man broke an oath he had sworn not to do something. His question is what he owes now. The answer opens with kaffarah, then sets out its exact form and order, as the source gives it.
Do not confuse with: *Fidyah*, ransom-payment. Kaffarah corrects a violation caused by what a person did; fidyah replaces worship a person was unable to do at all.
If scholars differ: Some scholars set a specific amount and kind of food for the feeding; others allow variation by local staple food. They also differ on whether a cash value may replace the food itself. The difference is named here as a difference and not decided; the mufti is the reference.
Often appears in
See the term in context
Is expiation (kaffarah) obligatory for one who broke her fast on the seventh day of her menstrual period, assuming she was still menstruating, and then realized on the same day that she had become pure, knowing that she did not intentionally break her fast?
If a menstruating woman experiences purity before Fajr, she is obligated to fast that day. If she was not aware of this, there is no sin upon her. If her purity becomes clear during the day, she must perform ghusl,…
What is the value of feeding one needy person in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and is it permissible to pay the expiation (kaffarah) in Egypt according to its local value?
The pregnant woman must offer expiation (kaffarah) by feeding one indigent person for each day she missed fasting. The amount of food for each feeding is 750 grams, and it is permissible to pay its value. There is no…
What is incumbent upon me and is expiation (kaffarah) due from me after intentionally aborting the fetus in the second month due to difficult living conditions and having eight children, while feeling intense remorse?
First, the woman must repent to Allah Almighty for aborting her fetus. The obligation of blood money (Diyah) depends on the condition of the fetus at the time of the abortion. If the abortion occurred after forty days…
Questions that use it
Is it obligatory to offer an expiation (kaffarah) or charity (sadaqah) to seek forgiveness for not performing istinja' after urinating in the past?
Is it permissible to adopt other madhhabs (schools of thought) that do not necessitate kaffarah (expiation) for masturbating during the daytime in Ramadan, for someone residing in a country that follows the Maliki madhhab, which mandates both qada' (making up the fast) and kaffarah?
Is a ransom (fidyah) or expiation (kaffarah) obligatory for someone who walked beside the pigeons gathered near the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) to perform prayer, and the pigeons flew away as a result, knowing that he did not hunt or kill them?