Is One Expiation (Kaffara) Enough for Several Contraventions During Ramadan?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalamu ‘alaykum,

I performed an expiation (60 consecutive fasts) for a contravention in Ramadan which didn’t require an expiation. Can I use this expiation I performed for another contravention which, this time, does require an expiation?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

One expiation (kaffara) suffices for all previous major contraventions which occurred during Ramadan fasts. You do not need to perform a separate expiation for each occurrence because a single one suffices as a penalisation and future deterrent [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah].

However, if a contravention occurred during the fasting hours in the month of Ramadan, and you performed the expiation thereafter, and then another major contravention occurred in a subsequent Ramadan, you would need to perform a second expiation because expiation do not apply retrospectively.

Please also see: A Ramadan Reader: A Comprehensive Answers Guide to Getting the Most Out of Ramadan

And Allah alone knows best.

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.

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