Essentially, Fidyah is a religious payment made by a person who is either suffering from an illness that prevents them from fasting or is extremely weak due to old age or is not obliged to fast during Ramadhan (menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding women).

According to the Hanafi School, Fidyah can only be paid by someone unable to fast during Ramadhan, cannot make up for the missed fasts at any other time, and is not expected to regain the ability to compensate for the lost fasts. This means that you are only eligible to pay Fidyah if all three aforementioned conditions are fulfilled. If not, the person must make up for the missed fast by fasting rather than paying the Fidyah. Moreover, based on the teachings of the Hanafi School, Fidyah is only valid if the person has no hope of compensating for the missed fast in their lifetime. Therefore, the following people do not qualify to pay Fidyah:

• Who accidentally broke or missed their fast.
• Who missed Fasting due to a temporary illness.
• Who is unable to observe fast due to surgery but can fast in the following years.

Also, if a person pays Fidyah believing that they won’t be able to make up for the missed fast anytime soon but then regains their health in the future, in such case, they are required to make up for the missed fast as they Fidyah will automatically be considered a charity rather than a compensatory payment.