Overall meaning:
ʿĀʾishah (Allah be pleased with her) relates that she sometimes still owed make-up fasts from Ramadan. Out of love for the Prophet ﷺ and the courtesy she showed him in their life together, she would delay those fasts until the month of Shaʿbān, a time in which he ﷺ fasted frequently; he was aware of this and approved of it.
Points derived from the ḥadith:
1 – It is permissible to postpone make-up fasts for Ramadan until Shaʿbān when one has a valid excuse.
2 – In the absence of an excuse, it is preferable to hasten to make them up; ʿĀʾishah explicitly mentioned her excuse.
3 – It is not permissible to delay the make-up fasts beyond the next Ramadan. Scholars have differed over whether an expiation (kaffārah) is required if the delay extends into the following Ramadan; the Ḥanbalī school holds that an expiation is due when the delay occurs without a valid excuse.
4 – The report illustrates the excellent conduct of ʿĀʾishah. May Allah grant our women the grace to emulate her.
Hadith 7
ʿĀʾishah (Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Whoever dies while a fast is due from him, his guardian should fast on his behalf.”
Abū Dāwūd also transmitted it, saying, “This concerns vowed fasts in particular,” which is likewise the position of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. (1)
Overall meaning:
Debts left by the deceased must be settled, whether they are owed to Allah—such as zakāh and fasting—or to human beings, such as monetary debts. Those most entitled to undertake this responsibility are the heirs; hence the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever dies while a fast is due from him, his guardian should fast on his behalf.”
Points derived from the ḥadith:
1 – Taken at face value, the ḥadith makes it obligatory to fulfill a deceased person’s outstanding fasts, whether they were vowed or originally required by the Law, contrary to Abū Dāwūd’s restriction. Ibn Daqīq al-ʿĪd noted that extending the ruling to obligations other than fasting is by analogy; the present ḥadith does not state it explicitly.
2 – The one who undertakes the fasting is his walī (legal guardian), meaning the heir who has benefited from the estate. Part of fulfilling this duty is to settle the deceased’s debts owed to Allah.