‘Ali, Ibn ‘Abbas, Abu Hurayrah, Anas, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, Tawus, Abu Hanifah, al-Thawri, and al-Awza‘i. Malik said: Nothing is obligatory upon him because he left the fast due to his incapacity, so no fidya (expiation) is required, just as if he left it due to an illness that led to death. There are two opinions for al-Shafi‘i, corresponding to the two schools of thought. Our position is the verse and the statement of Ibn ‘Abbas in its interpretation: It was revealed as a concession for the very elderly person. Furthermore, the performance of the fast is an obligatory act, so it is permissible for it to be reduced to an expiation, like the make-up (qada'). As for the sick person if he dies, feeding is not required because that would lead to it being incumbent upon the deceased from the outset, unlike when he was able to fast but did not do so until he died, because the obligation of feeding is contingent upon the state of life. The very elderly person possesses a sound legal personality; if he is also incapable of providing food, then nothing is upon him, and "Allah does not charge a soul except within its capacity" (2:286).

Section: The sick person whose recovery is not expected breaks his fast and feeds a poor person for every day, because he is in the same meaning as the elderly person. Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said regarding one who has an overwhelming desire for sexual intercourse and cannot control himself, and fears that his testicles might rupture: Feed. He permitted him to break his fast because he fears for himself, so he is like the sick person and one who fears for his life due to thirst or similar conditions, and he made feeding mandatory as a substitute for fasting. This applies to one who does not expect the possibility of making up the fast. If he does expect it, then there is no fidya upon him; rather, the duty is to wait for the make-up and perform it when he is able, based on His saying, the Exalted: "And whoever among you is sick or on a journey, then an equal number of days other [than the days of Ramadan]" (2:185). One only resorts to fidya upon despairing of making up the fast. If he feeds while in a state of despair, and then gains the ability to fast, it is possible that it is not binding upon him because his legal responsibility has been discharged by the performance of the fidya which was the incumbent obligation.