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Rulings of Fasting

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1. Fasting Is Obligatory

In the second year of Hijrah, Muslims were commanded to fast in the month of Ramadan every year. Allah, Most High, has prescribed fasting to Muslims during this blessed month, saying, ‘O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness.’ (Al-Baqarah: 183)
The Muslim Ummah is unanimous that fasting in the month of Ramadan is obligatory upon every Muslim, male or female, who is adult (i.e. has reached puberty) and sane and who is not sick or on a journey.

2. Components of Fasting

There are basically two main components of fasting:

a) The intention (niyyah) for fasting. One should make a sincere intention to fast for the sake of Allah every day before dawn. The intention need not be in words, but must be with the sincerity of the heart and mind. Some jurists are of the opinion that the intention can be made once only for the whole month and does not have to be repeated every day. It is, however, better to make intention every day to take full benefit of fasting.

b) Abstaining from dawn to sunset from everything that invalidates fasting.

3. Recommended Acts when Fasting

a) Taking Sahur (pre-dawn meal): It is Sunnah and there is a great reward and blessing in taking Sahur. The best time for Sahur is the last half hour before dawn or the time for Fajr prayer.

b) Taking Iftar (break-fast) immediately after sunset: Shari`ah considers sunset when the disk of the sun goes below the horizon and disappears completely.

c) Abstaining from all false talk and deeds: One should try to discipline oneself morally and ethically, besides gaining a physical training and discipline. One should also not boast about one’s fasting by talking too much about it, or by showing dry lips and hungry stomach, or showing bad temper. The fasting person must be a pleasant person with good spirit and good cheer.

d) Performing acts of charity and goodness towards others and increasing worship and reading of the Qur’an.

e) Making Du`a’ (supplication) at the time of breaking the fast: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘The Du`a’ of the fasting person – at the time of breaking his fast – will not be rejected (by Allah).’ (Reported by Ibn Majah)

4. Permissible Acts during Fasting

a) Taking a bath or shower: If water is swallowed involuntarily it will not invalidate the fast. According to most of the jurists swimming is also allowed in fasting, but one should avoid diving, because that will cause the water to go from mouth or nose into the stomach.

b) Using perfumes, wearing contact lenses or using eye drops.

c) Taking injections or having blood test.

d) Using Miswak (tooth-stick) or toothbrush (even with tooth paste) and rinsing the mouth or nostrils with water, provided it is not overdone (so as to avoid swallowing water).

5. What Invalidates the Fast

One must avoid doing anything that may render one’s fast invalid. Things that invalidate the fast and require Qada’ (making up for these days) are the following:
a) Eating, drinking or smoking deliberately.

b) Deliberately causing oneself to vomit.

c) The beginning of menstrual or post-childbirth bleeding even in the last moment before sunset.

d) Ejaculation out of sexual excitement from kissing, hugging, etc.
Sexual intercourse during fasting is forbidden and is a great sin. Those who engage in it must make both Qada’ (make up the fasts) and Kaffarah (expiation by fasting for 60 days after Ramadan or to feed 60 poor people for each day of fast broken in this way).