Lillah, fidyah and kaffarah: how they differ from sadaqah

One is sadaqah by another name; two are owed after a missed fast or a broken oath.

Lillah and fidyah beside sadaqah

“For Allah”, as every gift should be (Quran 76:9). In UK mosques, a general fund it may spend on anything.

For someone who can neither fast nor make the days up: feed one poor person per day (Quran 2:184). Try the fidyah calculator.

The elderly and the lastingly ill, as Ibn Abbas explained (Sahih al-Bukhari 4505). A passing illness means making the days up.

Fast two months in a row; if truly unable, feed sixty poor people (Sahih al-Bukhari 1936).

Hanafi and Maliki: kaffarah too. Shafi‘i and Hanbali: a make-up day and repentance. Each reads Sahih al-Bukhari 1936 its own way.

Feed or clothe ten poor people, else fast three days (Quran 5:89); a vow is the same (Sahih Muslim 1645). See kaffarah.org.

You can give lillah or sadaqah openly and see where each pound goes. DonateOpenly sets out how it scores each charity, from fundraising costs to reporting.