Broken-Fast Atonement

Kaffarah Calculator

Calculate the atonement for intentionally breaking a Ramadan fast without a valid sharia-recognized reason. Choose between fasting 60 consecutive days or feeding 60 poor people.

Kaffarah inputs

Select your atonement method and enter the relevant values. The default is feeding 60 poor persons.

Note: According to the majority opinion, each intentionally broken fast incurs a separate Kaffarah. The Hanafi school holds one Kaffarah suffices for the whole of Ramadan if no prior Kaffarah was owed.

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Total Kaffarah Due
$0.00
Enter your inputs and calculate.

The two primary methods

Method 1 (Fasting): 60 consecutive fasts. If even one day is broken (without valid reason), the count restarts — except for menstruation/postpartum, which pauses but does not reset the count.

Method 2 (Feeding): If fasting is not possible, feed 60 poor persons two meals each, or give each the cash equivalent, or give 1.5 kg of the local staple grain per person.

What is Kaffarah and When Does It Apply?

Kaffarah is a major expiation in Islamic law. In the context of Ramadan, it is owed when a Muslim intentionally and knowingly breaks a fast of Ramadan through eating, drinking, or sexual intercourse, without a valid sharia-recognized excuse. The obligation is severe precisely because the sanctity of Ramadan is severe — the fast is one of the five pillars, and intentionally violating it without cause requires a deliberate act of redemption.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) famously prescribed the 60-day expiation to a man who broke his fast intentionally through marital relations, as recorded in an authentic hadith of Bukhari and Muslim. The default expiation is to fast sixty consecutive days. If the person is genuinely unable — due to chronic illness, old age, or another permanent impediment — they may instead feed sixty poor people.

Important: Kaffarah is not for accidental breaks

  • If you forget and eat or drink by mistake, the fast remains valid — simply stop and resume when you remember. There is no Kaffarah.
  • If you break the fast due to a valid reason (illness, travel, menstruation, etc.), only a make-up fast (qada') is required, not Kaffarah.
  • Kaffarah applies only to deliberate, intentional breaking of a Ramadan fast without valid sharia excuse.

Differences between the schools

The Hanafi school holds that a single Kaffarah suffices for the entire month of Ramadan if no prior Kaffarah was owed — even if multiple fasts were broken intentionally. The majority of scholars (Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) hold that each intentionally broken fast requires its own separate Kaffarah. Our calculator defaults to the majority opinion (one Kaffarah per broken fast) but allows you to enter 1 if following the Hanafi position.

Practical guidance

For most people, the feeding method is more achievable. Distribute the food or cash locally where there is need — to mosques running food programs, to verified charitable organizations, or directly to known poor families. It is recommended to give each of the 60 recipients the full amount on the same day if possible, though distributing over a few days is also permissible.

Reminder: Kaffarah is a serious religious obligation and not a fine to be paid lightly. If you are uncertain whether your specific situation requires Kaffarah, consult a qualified scholar before paying.