Fidyah and kaffara
Fidyah or fidya and kaffara or kaffarah are religious donations made in Islam when a religious obligation has been missed or broken. Fidyah serves as compensation for when a Muslim was unable to fulfill the obligation for reasons beyond their control. Kaffarah deals with the breaking or missing of a fast without a valid excuse, and so is atonement rather than compensation, and requires a more significant compensatory payment or act than fidya.
Quran verse 2:184 mentions how donations of food, or money, to help feed those in need, serve as compensation for fasting missed when someone was "ill or on a journey". Some organizations have online fidyah and kaffara options.
Fidyah
Fidyah is a religious donation of money or food made to help those in need.Fidyah is made for fasts missed out of necessity, where the person is unable to make up for the fast afterwards – for example, if someone cannot fast for the required number of days due to ill health, pregnancy or of extreme age. In Ramadan, the fidyah must be paid for each fast missed. If, however, one misses their fast due to being sick or on a journey, but will be healthy enough to make up for it, they should preferably make up for the fast at a later date, as prescribed in the Qur'an.
Kaffara
Kaffara, is a religious donation of money or food made to help those in need.Kaffara is made for fasts missed unnecessarily – for example, if someone misses or breaks a fast in the month of Ramadan without a valid reason. To make up for the broken fast, must free one slave and if unable to do so, they must fast continuously for 60 days. If they are unable to do that, they have to give a charitable compensation for the cost of an average meal for 60 poor people. In the UK, the 2021 kaffara rate is £5 per person, amounting to £300 for each intentionally broken fast.
Paying a kaffarah is also necessary in Islam for breaking a promise or an oath.