Questions and Answers on Fasting
Fasting is a great act of worship and one of the pillars of Islam. Allah prescribed it for His servants for great wisdoms, the greatest of which is attaining taqwa; it is not merely leaving food and drink.
Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, guards his tongue and limbs, and hopes for Allah’s reward has exposed himself to a tremendous favor from Allah.
What is the ruling on fasting Ramadan?
Fasting Ramadan is obligatory upon every Muslim who is adult, sane, able, resident, and free from legal impediments.
O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain taqwa. [Al-Baqarah: 183]
“Islam is built upon five: testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakah, Hajj, and fasting Ramadan.” Agreed upon.
What is the wisdom behind fasting?
The greatest wisdom of fasting is attaining taqwa, as Allah says:
So that you may attain taqwa. [Al-Baqarah: 183]
Fasting trains a Muslim in awareness of Allah, patience, restraining desires, kindness toward the poor, and guarding the limbs from sins.
When does the fast begin and end?
The fast begins at the true dawn and ends at sunset.
Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread, then complete the fast until night. [Al-Baqarah: 187]
Is intention a condition for fasting?
Yes. Intention is a condition for fasting. Obligatory fasting must have an intention from the night before according to a group of scholars.
“Actions are only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.” Agreed upon.
The intention should not be pronounced aloud; its place is the heart.
What are the main things that break the fast?
Among the things that break the fast are:
- Eating and drinking deliberately.
- Intercourse during the day in Ramadan.
- Vomiting deliberately.
- Menstruation and postpartum bleeding.
- Nourishing substances that take the place of food and drink.
As for one who eats or drinks forgetfully, his fast is valid.
“Whoever forgets while fasting and eats or drinks, let him complete his fast, for it was Allah who fed him and gave him drink.” Agreed upon.
Do sins invalidate the fast?
Sins decrease the reward of fasting and may remove its fruit, though they do not invalidate the fast by themselves according to the majority of scholars unless there is evidence that a particular act breaks the fast.
“Whoever does not leave false speech and acting upon it, Allah has no need for him to leave his food and drink.” Narrated by Al-Bukhari.
Who is allowed to break the fast in Ramadan?
Those with valid legal excuses may break the fast, including:
- A sick person for whom fasting is difficult or harmful.
- A traveler.
- A menstruating woman or a woman with postpartum bleeding, and they must make up the days.
- A pregnant or breastfeeding woman if she fears for herself or her child; this has details among the scholars.
- An elderly person with ongoing inability, who feeds one poor person for each day.
Whoever among you is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of other days. And upon those who are able with hardship is a ransom: feeding a poor person. Whoever volunteers good, it is better for him. But to fast is better for you, if you only knew. [Al-Baqarah: 184]
What is the virtue of suhoor?
Suhoor is a blessed Sunnah. It helps a person fast and distinguishes Muslims from the People of the Book.
“Eat suhoor, for in suhoor there is blessing.” Agreed upon.
What is the Sunnah when breaking the fast?
The Sunnah is to hasten breaking the fast once sunset is confirmed.
“The people will remain upon good so long as they hasten to break the fast.” Agreed upon.
A Muslim breaks his fast with fresh dates, if available; otherwise with dried dates; otherwise with water, as is established from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Must missed days of Ramadan be made up?
Yes. Whoever breaks the fast in Ramadan due to an excuse must make up the days if he is able, such as a sick person expected to recover, a traveler, a menstruating woman, or a woman with postpartum bleeding.
Then an equal number of other days. [Al-Baqarah: 184]
Is voluntary fasting like obligatory fasting regarding intention?
Obligatory fasting needs an intention from the night before according to a group of scholars. As for voluntary fasting, a Muslim may intend it during the day if he has not eaten or drunk after dawn, as is established in the Sunnah.
Does using siwak or a toothbrush break the fast?
Siwak does not break the fast; rather, it is legislated for the fasting person and others. As for a toothbrush and toothpaste, they may be used with care not to swallow anything. It is better for the fasting person to use them at night or before dawn if he fears something may enter his throat.
Does vomiting break the fast?
If vomiting overcomes a person without choice, his fast is valid. But whoever deliberately makes himself vomit has broken his fast.
“Whoever is overcome by vomiting does not have to make it up, but whoever deliberately vomits must make it up.” Narrated by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, and authenticated by scholars.
Do injections and blood tests break the fast?
Non-nourishing injections do not break the fast in principle. As for nourishing injections that take the place of food and drink, they break the fast according to many contemporary scholars. A small blood draw for testing does not break the fast, while donating a large amount of blood is better avoided during fasting unless needed.
Do eye drops or ear drops break the fast?
Eye and ear drops do not break the fast according to many contemporary scholars, because they are neither food nor drink nor in their meaning. If the fasting person finds their taste in his throat, it is safer not to swallow it if possible.
May a fasting person bathe or rinse his mouth?
Yes. A fasting person may bathe, rinse his mouth, and rinse his nose, but he should not exaggerate in sniffing water into the nose out of caution that water may enter his throat.
“Exaggerate in rinsing the nose, unless you are fasting.” Narrated by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, and An-Nasa’i, and authenticated by scholars.
What is the ruling on intercourse during the day in Ramadan?
Intercourse during the day in Ramadan is among the gravest invalidators of the fast. The one who does it must repent, make up the day, and offer the severe expiation if he was obligated to fast: freeing a slave; if unable, fasting two consecutive months; if unable, feeding sixty poor people, as mentioned in the Sunnah.
What should a menstruating or postpartum woman do if she becomes pure during the day in Ramadan?
If a menstruating woman or a woman with postpartum bleeding becomes pure during the day in Ramadan, she refrains for the rest of the day out of respect for the time according to a group of scholars, and she must make up that day because she was not fasting from the beginning of the day.