the day of Arafah becomes confused and they stand at Arafah before it. As for us, he has performed the act of worship before its time, so it does not suffice him, like prayer on a cloudy day. As for Hajj, we do not concede that, except in the case where all the people err, due to the magnitude of the hardship upon them; if that happens to only a group of them, it does not suffice them. This is because such an occurrence cannot be guaranteed in compensatory acts (qada), unlike fasting.

The fourth case: that some of it coincides with Ramadan and some does not. What coincides with Ramadan or what follows it suffices him, and what coincides with before it does not suffice him.

Section: If his fasting coincides with the period after the month, it is required that what he has fasted equals the number of days of the month he missed, whether it coincides with the period between two crescents or not, and whether the two months were complete or deficient. Less than that does not suffice him. Al-Qadi said: The apparent meaning of al-Khiraqi's statement is that if he coincides with a month between two crescents, it suffices him, whether the two months were complete or deficient, or one was complete and the other deficient. This is incorrect, for Allah the Almighty said: "...then an equal number of other days" (12). Furthermore, because the month of Ramadan was missed by him, it is mandatory that his fasting be equal in number to what he missed, just like the sick person and the traveler. There is no mention of this detail in al-Khiraqi's statement, so it is not permissible to interpret his statement in a way that contradicts the Book and the truth. If it is said: Does it not suffice for one who vows to fast a month to fast the period between two crescents? We say: General terminology is understood based on what the name encompasses, and the name encompasses the period between two crescents. Here, however, it is a duty to compensate for what he missed, so it is mandatory to observe the number of days left out, just as one who vows a prayer is satisfied with two rak'ahs, but if he misses a prayer, he must compensate it with its specific number of rak'ahs. Likewise here, the obligation is for the number of days he missed, regardless of whether what he fasted was between two crescents or from two months. If a day of Eid enters into his fasting, it is not counted. If it coincides with the days of Tashriq, is it counted? There are two narrations on this, based on the validity of fasting those days as a mandatory act.

Section: If the captive does not have an overwhelming belief that Ramadan has entered and he fasts, it does not suffice him, even if