Dear respected Shaykh, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. If a person delays in making up for missed fasts in Ramadan until the next Ramadan is it conditional that he should make up for the missed fasts as well feed the poor in compensation? إذا تأخر عن قضاء الصيام فهل يشترط معه الإطعام؟

Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.   Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.   As to what follows:   In response to your question, we say:   The majority of the scholars are of the opinion that if a person delays in making up for missed fasts in Ramadan until the next Ramadan it is compulsory for him to make up for the missed fasts as well feed the poor in compensation.   The second opinion is that it is not compulsory to feed the poor in compensation because Allah made it obligatory to fast in making up for the missed days and he did not make it compulsory to feed the poor in compensation. Allah the Exalted said, “ So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]” [al-Baqarah 2: 184]. It was narrated in an authentic narration that the Messenger of Allah (peace  be upon him) said, “Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever died and he ought to have fasted (the missed days of Ramadan) then his guardians must fast on his behalf" [al-Bukhari (1952) and Muslim (1147)]. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not say, “And he should fast in compensation.” This encompasses the previous Ramadans or the immediate past Ramadan