and because he is sound in body and not ill, and because he has none of the lawful excuses for which Allah has permitted a fasting person to break the fast. Therefore he must both work and fast, and he should seek employment that does not clash with his fasting—such jobs are plentiful. Allah, the Exalted, says: “Whoever is mindful of Allah, He will grant him a way out and will provide for him from where he could never imagine” (Surah at-Talaq 65:2-3). Ever since Allah made fasting obligatory, Muslims have continued to work, earn a living, and fast at the same time; they have never abandoned the fast for the sake of work, even though many of them undertook hard and exhausting labour. Throughout Islamic history, and among the righteous predecessors, no instance is recorded of their neglecting the fast on account of work while they were resident and healthy. Allah knows best.

Delaying the make-up fasts

Question: If Ramadan comes in while a person still owes make-up fasts and he has been unable to perform them because of an illness, what is the ruling? May Allah reward you abundantly.

Answer: When someone owes days from a previous Ramadan, he should hasten to discharge this obligation and make up those days. If he delays until the next Ramadan arrives and he has not yet made them up, then two situations arise:

1. If during the interval between the two Ramadans he had a valid excuse and truly could not make them up, he should fast the present Ramadan, and after it ends he should make up the days he owes from the first Ramadan. Nothing further is required of him, for his delay was due to a legitimate excuse until the new Ramadan began.

2. If, however, his postponement until the new Ramadan was without any excuse—merely out of laziness and negligence—then he must fast the current Ramadan and, after it is over, make up the missed days from the previous Ramadan. Along with making them up he must feed one needy person for each day, half