he was incapable of performing any of the prescribed forms of expiation.
6 – A repentant person is not to be harshly rebuked for the sin he committed.
7 – The gravity of sexual intercourse during an obligatory fast is immense, and it is even more serious when it occurs in the daytime of Ramadan, as indicated by the man’s cry, “I am ruined,” and by the requirement of expiation.
8 – It is intercourse in the daytime of Ramadan that obliges expiation, because of the sanctity of that time. As for intercourse while making up a missed Ramadan fast, it is unlawful but does not incur expiation. Al-Rawḍ and its marginal commentary state: “Whoever has intercourse in the daytime of Ramadan must make up the day and perform the expiation,” and this is the position of the four Imams.
9 – Expiation is not lifted from the person on whom it has become obligatory merely because he is poor or unable to perform it; nothing in the ḥadith indicates that it is waived, and the basic rule is that it remains a debt upon him.
10 – It is permissible for someone else—even an unrelated person—to discharge the expiation on another’s behalf, provided the person for whom it is offered knows of it, for this act of worship requires an intention.
11 – When someone else provides the expiation, the person for whom it is offered may eat from it along with his family. If, however, he himself pays the expiation, it will not count if he then spends it on himself and his household.
12 – Whoever commits a sin that carries no prescribed ḥadd (fixed legal penalty) and then comes repentant and remorseful is not subjected to taʿzīr (discretionary punishment).
13 – This ḥadith showcases the noble character of the Prophet ﷺ and his generosity toward those who came to him. The man arrived in fear, convinced he was doomed, but left cheerful and delighted, carrying food for his family.
14 – The expiation is a ransom imposed on one who engages in intercourse during the day in Ramadan without excuse: it is a punishment, a deterrent to him and to others, an atonement for his wrongdoing, and a compensation for what he has neglected. It stands in the place of the purifying legal penalties, and intercourse invalidates the fast by the Quran, the Sunnah, consensus, and analogy.
15 – The intercourse that necessitates expiation is the insertion of the male organ into the vagina or the anus, even if no ejaculation occurs. As for ejaculation brought about by fondling without penetration, it does break the fast and entails sin, but it does not require expiation.