An Islamic scholar based in Ogbomoso, Oyo State has debunked the claim that there is no Kaffārah for anyone who deliberates copulates with his legal wife during the day of Ramadan while fasting.
Dr Sharafdeen Ggbadebo Raji a well versed and reserved Islamic jurist, a graduate of Islamic University Medina, Saudi Arabia with over thirty-five years of Islamic preaching experience on his Fridays Radio program “AL-FIQH-FI-DEEN”, a popular questions and answers segment on Parrot 101.1 FM Ogbomoso co-anchored by Ustādh Oladuni Bello that draws callers from every part of the world.
A caller by the name Liadi Qosim from Gabon posed a question to the renowned Islamic scholar that, is there any restitution in Islam for whoever eats deliberately during the day of Ramadan?
In his response to the question. Shaykh said; “Whoever eats deliberately during the day of Ramadan has sinned against Allāh and the person should seek forgiveness from Him and after the conclusion of Ramadan fast, such person will fast for the day he missed. There is no atonement for anyone that deliberately eats during the day of Ramadan in Islamic jurisprudence. But there is, for anyone that deliberately copulates with his wife during the day of Ramadan while fasting.
He noted vehemently that there is restitution (Kaffārah) for anyone that deliberately has sexual intimacy with his wife during the day of Ramadan. He stated that: ” Having intercourse with one’s wife deliberately while fasting in the month of Ramadan takes one of the three things as expiation: Freeing a slave, fasting to months sequentially without resting and in absence of that such person will have to feed Sixty people at a go. This is according to what is stipulated by Islamic canonical law. And no one will dispute this fact except an individual that knows nothing about Islam”.
He lamented that Islamic preachings are now in the wrong hands today, that many clerics are claiming what they are not, by so doing they are misleading ignorant Muslims. He exhorted the capable hands to repudiate and refute them in the public sphere without mincing words.
“It is heartening that today, certain individuals are claiming to be knowledgeable but in reality, they are far from it. It’s their type that will be attacking the core and sacred teachings of Islam with impunity, what even saddens the heart more is that this is blurted by an inexpert figure from a well-known city for Islamic Knowledge”.
While harping on the need for anyone to step in the shoe of preaching Islam to be well grounded in Islamic knowledge he charged other Islamic clerics to up their ante in exposing his ilk that some Muslims might be misguided by his obnoxious verdicts and rulings. Before the eminence scholar concluded his response to the question posed to him by the caller from Gabon. He clearly stated that there is no record of such a claim and misyearning in the history of Islam.
He mentioned that the four grand imams: Imam Al- Shafi’iy, Abu Hanifah, Malik and Ibn Hanbal despite their juristic differences never said that and sermonised him to fear Allāh, seek Knowledge and stop misleading people.
Mallam Abdulhakeem Mahmud Raji-Alaufe writes from Saki, Nigeria.
