and we have addressed both possibilities. In any case, a Muslim is required to hasten to discharge whatever Allah has made obligatory and not procrastinate, for delaying can lead to the very situation you described with your father: he deferred the fasting without a valid excuse, then something befell him that prevented him from fasting, and the expiation remains outstanding in his record.

Question: With regard to fasting on his behalf, would that be acceptable in any circumstance?

Answer: Fasting on his behalf is not acceptable, because it is a purely bodily act that does not admit proxy. Any fasting that the Law originally makes obligatory must be performed by the person himself; according to the sound view, no one may fast for another, since representation is not valid in bodily worship.

Question: Suppose he died before he could offer the expiation?

Answer: The only option would be emancipation: a slave may be freed on his behalf out of his estate, if that is possible.

***

Fulfilling a vow of obedience

Question: Some years ago I asked Allah for something and said: “If Allah grants it to me, I will pray for the rest of my life and will never abandon the prayer, even during my menstrual period.” Allah did grant my request, and I used to pray and then make up the prayers for the days of each monthly period. After I later heard that it is not permissible to make up those prayers, I stopped doing so, even though I had stipulated that I would perform them. What must I do now? Do I have to continue or not?

Answer: First: In principle, making vows is not recommended for a Muslim; he should carry out acts of obedience without binding himself by a vow, for, as the Prophet ﷺ said, “It does not bring…"