Kaffarah for Breaking a Fast: The 60-Day Expiation Explained
Quick answer: Kaffarah is the serious expiation owed, according to the majority of scholars, by someone who deliberately breaks a Ramadan fast without a valid excuse. It is performed in order: fasting sixty consecutive days, and only if genuinely unable, feeding sixty poor people. Sincere repentance is required alongside it.
What triggers kaffarah?
Kaffarah applies, according to the majority of scholars, when a person who is obliged to fast deliberately breaks a fast of Ramadan without any valid excuse — by eating, drinking or having marital relations during the day while knowing it is Ramadan and having no exemption. Its basis is the well-known hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim of the man who broke his fast in Ramadan and was instructed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the ordered steps of expiation.
Just as important is what does NOT trigger kaffarah. Missing or breaking fasts because of sickness, travel, menstruation, forgetfulness or any valid excuse requires qaza only. Fasts broken outside Ramadan — voluntary fasts or qaza fasts — do not carry kaffarah either, even if broken deliberately, because kaffarah is tied specifically to the sanctity of the Ramadan fast itself. Scholars have differed on a few edge cases, such as deliberate breaking by drinking alone in the Hanafi school, where kaffarah also applies to eating and drinking generally; the safe summary is that deliberate violation of a Ramadan fast without excuse is the trigger.
The ordered sequence of kaffarah
Kaffarah must be performed in the order given in the hadith; you cannot skip to a later step because it is easier. The first step in the original sequence was freeing a slave. That step is not applicable today, so in practice kaffarah begins with the second step: fasting two consecutive Islamic months — sixty consecutive days.
Only a person genuinely unable to fast sixty consecutive days — for a real reason such as illness or incapacity, not mere preference or inconvenience — moves to the third step: feeding sixty poor people. Each poor person is fed as in fidya, two meals or the staple amount, and the sixty may be fed in one gathering or through a trustworthy charity acting as your agent.
- Step 1: Freeing a slave — not applicable in our time
- Step 2: Fast sixty consecutive days without an unexcused break
- Step 3: Only if genuinely unable to fast — feed sixty poor people
- Alongside all steps: sincere tawbah (repentance), regret, and resolving not to repeat it
Rules of the sixty consecutive fasts
Consecutiveness is the defining rule: the sixty days must be fasted back-to-back. If the sequence is deliberately interrupted without a valid excuse — even near the end, on day fifty-nine — the count restarts from the beginning according to the majority. Days on which fasting is prohibited, such as the days of Eid, are planned around by starting the sequence at a time that avoids them, since an Eid cannot be fasted.
Scholars have discussed interruptions beyond a person's control. In the well-known Hanafi position, a woman's menstruation does not break the consecutiveness: she pauses during her period and resumes immediately after, continuing the count. Illness that forces a break is treated with similar detail and difference between schools, so anyone whose kaffarah fasts are interrupted by health issues should ask a scholar about their specific case rather than assuming all is lost.
The sixty days must also be separate from Ramadan itself and from any qaza days owed: kaffarah fasts are their own sequence with their own intention. The broken Ramadan day itself is still owed as a qaza fast in addition to the kaffarah, according to the majority — kaffarah expiates the sin of violation; the day is still made up.
One kaffarah per day broken — and repeated violations
According to the majority view, kaffarah is owed for each day of Ramadan deliberately broken: two violated days mean two kaffarahs. Some scholars held that multiple violations before performing a kaffarah combine into one, treating the expiations as overlapping, but the majority position of a kaffarah per day is the one most fatwa bodies give, and it reflects the gravity of each day's fast.
For marital relations specifically, scholars also discuss the wife's position where she participated willingly: the majority hold that she likewise owes qaza and kaffarah, while coercion removes liability entirely. These are precisely the kinds of details that differ by school and circumstance, so couples in this situation should consult a qualified scholar rather than relying on summaries.
Tawbah: the heart of kaffarah
Kaffarah is not a fine that buys permission, and it is never a licence to break fasts casually. Alongside the fasts or feeding, the person must make sincere tawbah: stop the sin, feel genuine remorse, and firmly resolve not to return to it. Many scholars stress that Allah's mercy is vast, and the very hadith of kaffarah ends with the Prophet (peace be upon him) showing gentleness to a poor man who could not manage even the feeding.
Practically, a person who owes kaffarah should not delay starting. If fasting sixty days, choose a start date that avoids Eid interruptions, inform family so they can support you, and keep a written count. If feeding sixty, use our kaffarah calculator to cost it accurately with your local rate and pay through a charity that distributes it as food or meals.
Kaffarah is only for Ramadan fasts
To avoid a common confusion: kaffarah of this form exists for the fast of Ramadan itself. Deliberately breaking a voluntary (nafl) fast or a qaza fast carries no kaffarah — the qaza day is simply re-made, and the nafl fast carries no makeup according to the majority. Other matters that also use the word kaffarah, such as the expiation for broken oaths or for zihar, are separate rulings with their own sequences and are not covered by this guide.
Because kaffarah is a heavy act of worship with school-specific details, this article explains the mainstream framework only. For your personal situation, consult a qualified local scholar before beginning, especially if health, pregnancy or past interruptions are involved.
Frequently asked questions
How many days must be fasted for kaffarah?
Sixty consecutive days — two consecutive Islamic months — fasted without an unexcused break. If the sequence is deliberately broken, the majority hold that it restarts from day one. Only someone genuinely unable to complete this moves on to feeding sixty poor people instead.
Can I just feed sixty poor people instead of fasting?
Not by choice. The steps of kaffarah are ordered: feeding sixty poor people is only for someone genuinely unable to fast the sixty consecutive days, due to illness or real incapacity. Finding fasting difficult or inconvenient is not the same as being unable. If you are unsure which applies to you, ask a qualified scholar about your circumstances.
Do I owe kaffarah if I broke my fast because I was ill?
No. Kaffarah is only for deliberately breaking a Ramadan fast without a valid excuse. Breaking the fast due to illness, travel, menstruation or any recognised excuse requires qaza only — making up the day later. Forgetful eating does not even break the fast, so it requires neither qaza nor kaffarah.
Is kaffarah owed for each day broken, or just once?
According to the majority of scholars, kaffarah is owed for each day of Ramadan deliberately broken without excuse, so two days mean two kaffarahs, and the broken days themselves are also made up as qaza. A minority view combines multiple violations into one kaffarah. This is a case to put to a scholar who knows your full history.
Does kaffarah apply to breaking a voluntary or qaza fast?
No. This kaffarah is specific to deliberately violating the fast of Ramadan itself. A deliberately broken voluntary fast has no makeup according to the majority, and a broken qaza fast is simply made up again on another day. The sanctity being violated in Ramadan — an obligatory, time-bound fast — is what the expiation addresses.