The obligation
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain taqwa.
Ramadan begins with the sighting of the new crescent or the completion of thirty days of Sha'ban. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 38, Sahih Muslim 760)
Who must fast — and who is excused
| Person | Ruling | Afterwards |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, sane, healthy resident Muslim | Must fast | — |
| Traveller (journey of about 80 km or more) | May break the fast | Make up the days (qada) |
| Temporarily ill | May break the fast if fasting harms or delays recovery | Make up the days |
| Chronically ill or elderly unable to fast | Excused | Pay fidyah for each day |
| Menstruation or post-natal bleeding | Must not fast | Make up the days |
| Pregnant or breastfeeding, fearing harm | May break the fast | Make up the days; some schools add fidyah when fearing only for the child |
| Child before puberty | Not obligatory | Trained gradually |
How to fast
- 1
Intention (niyyah)
Intend the fast in your heart. For Ramadan, the Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools require the intention before dawn; the Hanafi school allows it until before midday. Malikis allow one intention for the whole month.
- 2
Suhoor
Eat the pre-dawn meal, delaying it close to Fajr. “Take suhoor, for in suhoor there is blessing.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1923)
- 3
Abstain from dawn to sunset
No food, drink, smoking or marital relations from true dawn (Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib).
- 4
Guard the tongue and limbs
Avoid lying, backbiting, arguing and anything that harms the reward of the fast.
- 5
Iftar
ذَهَبَ ٱلظَّمَأُ وَٱبْتَلَّتِ ٱلْعُرُوقُ وَثَبَتَ ٱلْأَجْرُ إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّهُ
Dhahaba adh-dhama'u wabtallatil-'uruqu wa thabatal-ajru in sha' Allah
Hasten to break the fast at sunset, preferably with fresh dates or water (Sunan Abi Dawud 2357).
What breaks the fast
| Act | Effect | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Eating or drinking deliberately | Breaks the fast | Qada; Hanafi and Maliki also require kaffarah |
| Marital relations during the day | Breaks the fast | Qada and kaffarah (agreed) |
| Deliberate vomiting | Breaks the fast | Qada |
| Menstruation or post-natal bleeding begins | Ends the fast | Qada |
| Smoking or inhaling smoke deliberately | Breaks the fast | Qada |
| Nutritional injections or drips | Break the fast | Qada |
| Eating out of forgetfulness | Does not break the fast | Continue fasting (Maliki: make up the day) |
| Involuntary vomiting | Does not break the fast | — |
| Brushing the teeth, miswak, swallowing saliva | Does not break the fast | Avoid swallowing toothpaste |
| Bathing, perfume, eye drops (most views) | Does not break the fast | — |
For deliberately breaking a Ramadan fast by intercourse (and, for Hanafi and Maliki, deliberate eating or drinking): free a slave, or if unable, fast sixty consecutive days, or if unable, feed sixty poor people.
Qada, fidyah and kaffarah
Qada
Making up a missed day with one day of fasting, ideally before the next Ramadan.
Fidyah
Feeding one poor person for each day by those permanently unable to fast — about one meal or its value (Hanafi: half a sa' of wheat).
Kaffarah
Sixty consecutive days of fasting, or feeding sixty poor people if unable, for a deliberately broken Ramadan fast.
Making the most of Ramadan
- Pray Tarawih at night, in congregation or at home
- Recite and reflect on the Quran — many complete it at least once
- Seek Laylat al-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten, especially the 27th
- Observe i'tikaf (seclusion in the mosque) in the last ten days
- Give generously and feed fasting people
- Pay Zakat al-Fitr before the Eid prayer
لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي — “O Allah, You are Pardoning and love to pardon, so pardon me.” (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3513)
Zakat al-Fitr
Zakat al-Fitr is due on every Muslim who has food in excess of their needs on the day of Eid, paid by the head of the household for each dependant. It is one sa' (about 2.5–3 kg) of a staple food such as dates, barley, raisins or rice. The Hanafi school allows half a sa' of wheat and permits paying its value in money; many scholars of other schools also accept money where it better serves the poor. It should be given before the Eid prayer, and may be given a day or two earlier.
Recommended and forbidden fasts
| Fast | When | Ruling |
|---|---|---|
| Six days of Shawwal | Any six days after Eid al-Fitr | Recommended — like fasting a whole year (Sahih Muslim 1164) |
| Day of 'Arafah | 9 Dhul Hijjah, for non-pilgrims | Recommended — expiates two years |
| 'Ashura | 10 Muharram, with the 9th | Recommended — expiates the previous year |
| Mondays and Thursdays | Weekly | Recommended |
| Ayyam al-Bid | 13, 14, 15 of each Hijri month | Recommended |
| Fast of Dawud | Every other day | The best voluntary fast |
| Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha | 1 Shawwal, 10 Dhul Hijjah | Forbidden |
| Days of Tashriq | 11, 12, 13 Dhul Hijjah | Forbidden (except for some pilgrims) |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What if I eat after Fajr thinking it was still night?
The majority hold that the fast of that day must be made up, while the person continues abstaining for the rest of the day.
Can I fast without suhoor?
Yes, the fast is valid; suhoor is a sunnah with great blessing.
Do blood tests break the fast?
Drawing a small amount of blood does not break the fast according to most scholars. Hanbalis consider cupping (hijamah) to break it.
When does the fast end in places with very long days?
Fast according to local dawn and sunset. Where these do not occur normally, scholars advise following the nearest city with regular days or Makkah's timings.