Friday 19 Ramadan 1445 - 29 March 2024
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Is it acceptable to feed children when feeding the poor as an act of expiation (kafaarah)?

Question

When offering expiation for breaking a vow (kafaarat al-yameen), are children regarded as being among the poor? Does feeding the poor mean giving a particular kind of food, or can it be any food?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

If the person who is Islamically responsible for taking care of the children is poor, and the children do not have any wealth that could be spent on their maintenance, then they may be counted among the number of poor people to be fed as an act of expiation.

Secondly:

The food that counts with regard to expiation is that of moderate quality that the person offering the expiation would normally eat and give his family to eat, such as dates, wheat, corn, rice and so on.

And Allah is the source of strength. May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Mohammed and his family and companions. End quote.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Qa‘ood.

Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, vol. 2, 9/219

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Source: Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, vol. 2, 9/219