A. The only type of fasting which is obligatory is that during Ramadhan for those who are able, or the making up of missed Ramadhan fasts for those who are able. For a list of those types of people who do not have to fast see below.

A. A valid reason is only needed for missing an obligatory fast such as during Ramadhan. Some examples of the types of people excused are:

• Those who are ill or on a journey.
• Pregnant or suckling mothers.
• Those who are weak due to old age.
• Those suffering from long term illness that would be made worse by fasting, such as certain types of diabetes.

A. If you miss a non-obligatory fast there is no harm and typically the fast cannot be made up at a later date.

Missed fasts during Ramadhan are of two types:

1. A person has not kept the fast due to a valid reason (see above).
2. A person has deliberately not kept the fast or broken their fast without a valid reason.

In the case of (1) there is no sin upon the person, but they should either make up the missed days as soon as they are able, or if they are not able they should offer fidyah (see below). In doing so the person will receive the same reward as the one who fasted, insha'Allah.

In the case of (2) the person has committed a sin for which he should repent. In addition, the person must fast for two consecutive months with no break in between. If one is absolutely not able to do that kaffarah must be offered (see below).

A. Fidyah is a way for those who are not able to fast due to age, long term illness etc. to share in the reward of fasting, and is obligatory upon them if they can afford it.

The fidyah is to feed a poor person for each day of fasting missed. The scholars have said it is sufficient to provide a single poor person with two meals for every day missed, or to feed lots of people a meal on a single day.

Each meal costs $4.65 and thus the fidyah for each day of fasting missed is $9.30. Thus, if one missed 30 days of fasting during Ramadhan due to long term illness one should pay $279 in fidyah.

You can make a fidyah payment here.

A. Kaffarah is the expiation that must be offered if one deliberately does not fast or breaks a fast in the month of Ramadhan without a valid reason.

In such a case a person is liable to fast for two month continuously with no break between. If one cannot perform this fast due to valid reasons then a person must feed (the equivalent of) 60 poor persons two meals.

Each meal costs $4.65 and thus the cost of the kaffarah payment is $4.65 × 2 × 60 = $558.

You can make a kaffarah payment here.

A. Muslim Hands will ensure that your fidyah or kaffarah is spent correctly -- feeding poor and needy people.

A. Qurbani is a sacrifice that is offered at the time of Eid al-Adha to show gratitude towards Allah (swt) and to provide for the poor and needy.

The Prophet Muhammad (saws) was once asked by his Companions: "O Prophet of Allah! What is this qurbani?" He replied, "It is the Sunnah of your father Ibrahim (as)." (Hadith - Ibn Majah)

Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an: "It is neither their flesh nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him." (Qur'an 22:37)

Qurbani has been performed from the time of Ibrahim (as) and commemorates also Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son, who was replaced by an animal at the time of sacrifice.

A. There is no difference between the two. Udhiyah is an Arabic term for the sacrifice and qurbani is the term used in Urdu and various other languages. We use the word qurbani as it is the better known of the two amongst UK Muslims.

A. The qurbani sacrifice is obligatory on sane male or female Muslims above the age of puberty who hold a minimal level of wealth.

A. Qurbani animals are goats, sheep, cattle and camels, male or female. No other type of animals are allowed for qurbani. In addition, the animals should be in good health and above a certain age: one year for goats and sheep, two years for cattle and five years for camels.

A. Qurbani animals are considered to have 'shares,' where a single share is sufficient for performing the qurbani. Sheep and goats consist a single share, whereas cattle and camels consist of seven shares.

Therefore to perform a qurbani for a single person one must either sacrifice a sheep or goat, or seven people must together purchase a cow or camel and share the sacrifice. The reward in both instances is the same.

A. Ideally the meat from the qurbani sacrifice should be shared between one's own family, friends and the poor. It is very difficult to perform a qurbani sacrifice in most western countries, and there are also relatively few poor persons, so it is permissible to pay for a sacrifice to be performed on one's behalf in another country, and for all the meat to be distributed to the poor.

Muslim Hands will perform the qurbani sacrifice in a country of your choosing (or where most needed) and will distribute all the meat to the poor and needy.

A. As a qurbani involves the purchase of an animal costs vary from country to country. For a list of available countries and the cost of performing a qurbani in each see here.

A. You can donate a qurbani online here or over the phone. For online qurbanis please ensure you make your donation at least two days before Eid al-Adha to allow us time for processing. For telephone donations you can call right up until the day of Eid itself and still have the qurbani performed in time.

A. If one intends to perform a qurbani sacrifice then they should refrain from cutting their hair or nails, or removing parts of the skin, during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.

A. For more information about zakah please see the Zakah FAQ.

A. For more information on interest and how to donate interest to Muslim Hands please see the Interest FAQ.

A. For more information on waqf and the MH Waqf Fund please see the Waqf FAQ.

A. If you have a question that is not answered here or require further advice on Islamic issues related to charity please contact us. Muslim Hands has a number of advisory scholars who may be able to help, or if they cannot we will insha'Allah be able to put you in touch with other scholars.