Fiqh – Alhamdulillah, the blessed month of Ramadan has arrived! We’ve created an article that outlines the basics of fasting. The article includes the following: a definition of fasting, who must fast during Ramadan, who is not required to fast, and what breaks or does not break our fast. This article is based on the Hanafi madhab.
What is the definition of fasting in Islam?
Shaykh Haroon Hanif says fasting is to abstain “from food, drink, and marital relations” from dawn to dusk to draw nearer to Allah (swt).
This definition refers to the ‘intention to draw near to Allah,’ which distinguishes a religious fast from dieting or intermittent fasting. What does it mean, exactly, to intend something?
Your intention is the desire you have to act. It’s unnecessary to verbally state your intention, but it is preferred.
In the Hanafi tradition, it is almost impossible not to have the intention of fasting. If someone asks, “What are you doing?” and you reply with “Fasting,” then you clearly have the intention to fast. You are now executing that intention.
It would help if you made the intention to fast separately for every day of Ramadan. The purpose can be made at any time between the Maghrib prayers of the previous evening and the “Islamic midday.” The Islamic midday marks the halfway point between the Fajr and Maghrib prayers. If, for example, Fajr begins at 5 AM and Maghrib at 5 PM, the Islamic midday is 11 AM.
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Who must fast during Ramadan?
Ramadan is a fasting month for all Muslims who are of sound mind. According to Islam, an adult is:
- Islam is the natural, primordial way, and so someone becomes an adult when they reach puberty.
- A boy becomes an adult if he has a dream in which he ejaculates or has a wet snore.
- A girl becomes an adult after her first period or a wet night’s sleep.
If neither of these conditions has been met by males or females at the age of fifteen lunar years, then they are automatically considered adults and must fast.
Who is exempted from Ramadan fasting?
Following Muslims are exempted from Ramadan fasting.
A sick person:
Fasting is not recommended for someone who is seriously ill. It can be determined by obvious signs, by the judgment of a practicing Muslim doctor, or by previous experience.
Traveler
Travelers are defined as people planning to travel more than 48 miles from their homes. A traveler is someone who intends to go somewhere that’s more than 48 miles away. Travelers are only exempted from Ramadan fasting if they begin their journey before Fajr. A person who begins fasting in Ramadan and then travels is required to finish the fast.
An elderly frail person
As mentioned above, a person who is ill or hurts their health cannot fast. (See the section about ‘a sick person’). A sick person can usually make up for missed fasts later, but an older person may be unable to do so due to weakness. Fidyah would be required for all missed fasts. According to Muslim Hands, this would amount to roughly PS7 for each ignored fast.
The woman who is pregnant or nursing:
Pregnant women are required to fast during Ramadan by default. They will be exempted if there is any danger to the unborn child or mother’s health. A Muslim doctor can determine the risks of fasting, or it can be determined through manifest signs and previous experience.
If a mother exclusively breastfeeds her child, she is not required to fast. If the mother cannot feed her child milk, she should fast as much as they can. She may fast one day and then miss another if she fears her milk will dry up. This judgment would also be based on previous experience and manifest signs.
Women who experience menstruation or post-natal bleeding
Fasting is not allowed during menstruation.
If a woman has her period in Ramadan, it must start during the night. If a woman’s period starts in Ramadan during the night (i.e., She is not allowed to fast as long as her period continues.
* If the woman’s period starts during the daytime, her fast for that day is nullified. She will have to make up the fast at a later time. She must also continue not to fast as long as her period is ongoing.
The period of a woman ends in the night (i.e., From the beginning of Maghrib to the beginning of Fajr, a woman must take ghusl.
If a woman has her period during the daytime, she must take a ghusl, a ritual bath, and for the remainder of the day, she should fast until Maghrib.
You should not eat, drink, or smoke during the month of Ramadan. This does not count as her normal fast. She’d still need to make up her fasts for the day she menstruated and the other days.
The same rules apply to women experiencing post-natal bleeding after giving birth. The woman cannot fast during this period of post-natal bleeding, which can last for up to forty days.
It would indicate that there was something abnormal if it lasted beyond 40 days. She would have to fast unless she could prove it to be harmful to her health. If she were to be sick, she wouldn’t have to fast.
What breaks your fast? And what should we do when our fast breaks down?
Two types of fasts are broken, and there are two ways to make up’ for them:
One: Qada and Kaffarah.
In the following cases, both a Qaeda as well as a Kaffarah are required:
- Ramadan’s fast is broken.
- The person who started the fast has broken it without reason.
If that’s too hard, then you can feed 60 poor people.
One: Qada alone
You would need to:
This would happen if you accidentally broke your fast, even though you knew that you were fasting.
- Eating the meal before dawn (sahur), not realizing that Fajr has already started, or eating the meal in the evening (iftar), not learning the sun had yet to set.
- You accidentally ate something that was not food. You accidentally ate something that was not edible
- Inhaled through the nose unless it was unavoidable
- Eardrops
What does not break the Ramadan fast?
- Forgetting to break the fast
- Anything between the teeth more minor than the size of a chickpea
- Involuntary or induced vomiting of less than a mouthful
- Dreaming of a wet place
- Delaying the ritual bath
Inhalation of particles that cannot be avoided
- Bleeding
- Injecting into body
What is disliked by a person who fasts (makruh)?
You can also chew or taste toothpaste.
* Kissing their spouse or having sexual contact if they are afraid of desire
What should you do when fasting?
You will need the strength to fast if you eat the Sahur (pre-dawn breakfast).
* Breaking your fast with an odd number of dates, water, or something sweet
What are some good things to do while fasting?
Use the miswak (tooth stick) any time of the day
Rinsing your mouth and nose
- Showering
- Applying scent
Muslim Hands, a charity that has won awards for its work addressing poverty and providing emergency aid to those who need it most, was founded in 1993.
We can help you with your Ramadan calculations, send iftar worldwide, sponsor orphans, and even build a water well. Visit our Appeals page for more ways to serve Ummah, or WHATSAPP: +923017363500
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