Born and raised in the northeast of the United States, I grew up loving the change of seasons. Like so many people, I enjoy watching the leaves change, complain about having to rake them up and then pull out my thicker clothes to prepare for cooler temperatures. I also connect this time of year with another key thing – fasting, especially missed fasting days due to pregnancy and breastfeeding that I should be making up.

Muslim women are always making up a few fasts yearly for those missed due to menstruation, but winter days are especially enticing when you have a bigger block of make-ups to do. The cooler months bring shorter days and the chance for Muslims to fast fewer hours but still get the benefits and blessings of ibadah (worship) which is a pillar of the faith. Allah (S) says about fasting:

Although we often highlight Ramadan to avoid eating, drinking and intimacy with our partners, fasting is something we can do throughout the year, increasing the potential that it becomes a shield, as the Prophet Muhammad (saw) describes:

The Prophet (saws) pointed out the winter months and the benefits of fasting during them. He (saw) said:

Thus, Allah (S), in His infinite mercy, afforded us this time of the year to fast with potentially less physical turmoil while maintaining the benefits of fasting.

In a previous post, I discussed the non-obligatory types of fasting available to us outside of Ramadan, including fasting on Mondays and Thursdays and Ayam Al-Beedh (White Days of the full moon), both sunnah fasts that can be done year-round (except in the two weeks prior to Ramadan beginning).

Although these fasts are great, I usually try to focus on making up days for fasts missed because of things like menstruation, pregnancy, post-natal bleeding or breastfeeding. Depending on each person’s situation, they miss a few days or months of fasting. The shorter days of the winter months offer opportunities to make up multiple days in a way that most likely is easier than fasting longer, hotter ones.

There is a difference of opinions among scholars as to whether a person should make up fasting days due to pregnancy (including post-natal bleeding) or breastfeeding or pay a fidyah, or donation to the poor for each day. It can all get complex. One may adhere to a specific school of thought, and that may drive their decision, while someone else will want to know what the majority of scholars concluded. It is a good idea to do one’s research before deciding if making up fasts or paying fidyah is the best thing for them.

After engaging in my own research, I paid the fidyah for four of my six high-risk pregnancies. At one point in my reproductive life, I was either pregnant or breastfeeding for six years straight. The missed Ramadan days piled up, and I paid the fidyah for them. However, with my last two (who were born eight years later – don’t ask), I only missed two Ramadan’s fasts (the entire month), so I decided to make them up during the winter.

For me, making up all of my missed fasts due to all my pregnancies and nursing days was a total of about 12 months of fasting. That seemed like too much of a hardship while the last two (totaling 60 days of fasting) were more doable.

I made my intentions to fast during the winter until all of the days were made up. In fact, I’m still working on them. I discovered that I can not combine my intentions to make up missed days with other sunnah fasts, like the six days of Shawwal or Ayam Al-Beedh. According to Omar Suleiman, “You cannot combine the intention of an obligatory and voluntary deed. Since making up days is for obligatory fasts of Ramadan, one is unable to have the intention to fast for it and a non-obligatory fast.” As always, Allah (S) knows best.

Making up fasts for menstruation is a little different. There is no fidyah you can give. One makes up the fasting days, preferably before the next Ramadan. As with pregnancy and breastfeeding, winter allows one to make up days during shorter daylight hours, potentially making them easier.

Whether it’s to get some extra blessings by fasting sunnah days or to make up missed days for any valid reason, don’t spend winter hibernating and miss out on fasting shorter days. Gather a few friends and make that intention together, as that may provide extra motivation. Break your fast with a hearty dish that’s perfect for the colder months, and get any missed days under your belt.