If her period of purity exceeds two months, such as if she begins the fast immediately after her period of purity from menstruation, yet the continuity is not interrupted by this. It is not permissible for a follower (ma'mum) to separate from his imam without an excuse, yet it is permissible for someone who has missed part of the prayer (masbuq) to join him during the prayer, even with the knowledge that he is obligated to separate from him before completing it. Another narration is derived regarding the days of Tashriq, that he may fast them as part of the expiation and not break his fast except for the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Nahr) alone. Based on this, if he breaks his fast during them, he must restart it (5), because they are days in which it was possible (6) for him to fast for the expiation, so breaking the fast during them interrupts the continuity, unlike others. Once this is established, if he begins the fast from the beginning of Sha'ban, the fast of Sha'ban suffices him for one month, whether it is deficient or complete. As for Shawwal, it is not permissible to begin with the first of it, because the first of it is the day of 'Eid al-Fitr, and fasting on that day is forbidden; therefore, he begins his fast from the second day and completes a full month of thirty days. If he begins from the first of Dhu al-Hijjah until the end of Muharram, he makes up four days and it suffices him, because he began the two months from their start. If he began the fasting of the two months from the day of 'Eid al-Fitr, the fast of 'Eid al-Fitr is not valid, but the fast of the rest of the month and the fast of Dhu al-Qa'dah are valid, and it is counted for him as Dhu al-Qa'dah, whether it is deficient or complete, because he began it from its start. As for Shawwal, if it is complete, he fasts one day from Dhu al-Hijjah in place of the day of 'Eid al-Fitr, and it suffices him; and if it is deficient, he fasts two days from Dhu al-Hijjah, because he did not begin it from its start. If he begins the fasting from the first of the days of Tashriq, and we say it is valid (8) to fast them as a mandatory fast, then it is counted for him as Muharram, and he completes the fast of Dhu al-Hijjah by finishing thirty days from Safar. But if we say it is not valid to fast them as a mandatory fast, he fasts from Safar in their place.

Section: It is permissible to begin the fasting of the two months from the beginning of a month or from the middle of it; we know of no disagreement regarding this because a "month" is a term for the time between two new moons and for thirty days, so whichever one he fasts, he has performed the duty. If he begins from the beginning of a month and fasts two months by the sighting of the new moons, it suffices him, whether they were complete or deficient,