A Brief about Fasting

All praise to Allah, Lord of the Realms Prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and Upon all his family and companions.

This is a brief about fasting, its ruling, types of people in fasting, factors that break one's fasting and other benefits in brief.

Fasting means worshipping Allah by abstaining from eating and drinking from dawn until sun set.

Fasting Ramadan: is one of the greatest pillars of Islam. The Prophet, prayers and peace be upon him, said: “Islam is based on five (pillars): Testifying that there is none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger; and the establishment of prayer; and the payment of Zakah [poorـdue] and the Pilgrimage to the sacred House of Allah (Kabah) and to fast Ramadan.” [Agreed upon]

Types of People in fasting:

1. Fasting is obligatory on every adult, sane, able, and resident Muslim.

2. An infidel is not under the obligation to fast and if they revert to Islam, they do not have to make up the fasts during their days of their disbelief.

3. A child that didn’t reach puberty do not have to fast but they might be asked to fast only to get used to it.

4. Insane or mentally deranged individuals do not have to fast or to feed others on his behalf as a substitute for not fasting even if they are adults.

5. The individuals who are unable to fast because of permanent causes such as old men or those inflicted with a disease they do not expect to recover from, have to feed a poor person for every day in Ramadan.

6. The individuals who suffer from a disease they expect to recover from, may break their fast if they find fasting a burden and make up the missed days after they recover.

7. If the pregnant and breastfeeding woman who find it hard to fast because of pregnancy or breastfeeding, or they fear their babies shall be in harm, they may break their fast and fast the missed days when they find it easy or there is no fear.

8. The one who is compelled to break his fast to save someone from drowning or from fire, may break his fast, and make up this day later on.

9. Women in menstrual or in postpartum period are not allowed to fast during this period, they must break their fast and fast the missed days later.

10. Travelers may fast or break their fast but they have to fast the missed days later whether their travel is temporary like traveling for Umra or permanent like taxi drivers, they may break their fast when they travel to cities other than their city.


Things that break one's fasting

Persons' fasting is not broken if they do one of the things which break their fast, while they are ignorant or forgetting. Allah Almighty, says: “Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred.” [Al- Baqarah 2:286]

Transliteration: rabbana la tuakhithna in naseena aw akhtana

Allah, the All Mighty, says: "except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith." [Al Nahal 16:106]

Transliteration: illa man okriha waqalbuhu mutmainnun bialeemani

His saying: " And there is no blame upon you for that in which you have erred but [only for] what your hearts intended." [Al-Ahzab 33:5] 

Transliteration: walaysa AAalaykum junahun feema akhtatum bihi walakin ma taAAammadat quloobukum

If the fasting person eats or drinks forgetting, or if he eats thinking that, the sun has set or the dawn has not broken, his fasting will not be nullified because he is ignorant of the incidence.

If the fasting person rinses his mouth with water and it accidently reaches his throat, his fasting will not be nullified, because he did not do this deliberately. If he discharged semen (wet dreaming) unintentionally while he was sleeping, his fasting will not be nullified.


The eight factors that break one's fast:

1. Sexual Intercourse: If a fasting person who is obliged to fast makes a sexual intercourse in the day of Ramadan; he has to fast another day as a substitute and make a great expiation, that is to free a slave, if one is not able to do that, he has two fast two successive months, if he is not able to do that, he has to feed sixty poor men.

2. Discharge of semen while one is awake, through masturbation, or by approaching women, kissing, hugging, or the like.

3. Eating or drinking whether it is benefiting or harming such as smoking.

4. Nourishing injections, which substitute food and drink. But non nourishing injections do not break one's fasting whether they are used in veins or in muscles and whether one finds their taste in his throat or not.

5. Blood transfer such as when the fasting person bleed and are given blood transfer to substitute the blood they lost.

6. The discharge of menstrual or postpartum blood.

7. Extracting blood by cupping and the like but if blood emerges naturally such as bleeding or coming out with the pulling out of teeth do not break one's fasting because it’s not cupping nor constitutes a part of it.

8. Vomiting deliberately, but if one vomit unintentionally his fasting is not nullified.


Notes:

1. Fasting persons may intend to fast even if they are in a state of major ritual impurity then they may wash after the crack of dawn.

2. If a woman’s menstrual or postpartum period ends before Fajr in Ramadan, she must fast this day even if she washes after the crack of dawn.

3. The fasting persons may pull out their teeth or molars, cure their wounds or dropping in one's eyes or ears even if one finds the taste in his throat.

4. Fasting individuals may use Siwak (tooth-cleansing stick) at the beginning or end of Ramadan days as it is Sunnah while fasting or not.

5. Fasting individuals may use things that relieve the severe hot weather or thirst such as pouring water on the body to cool down or using air conditions.

6. Fasting individuals may spray (oral inhaler) in their mouth what lightens the breath shortage resulting from pressure or others.

7. Fasting individuals may damp their lips with water if they get dry and rinse their mouth with water, if their lips are dry, but not to swallow the water.

8. The Sunnah is to delay Suhur (pre-dawn meal) before the fast to make it directly before dawn and to break his fast quickly as soon as the sun sets, to breakfast on ripe dates, if one does not find then on dry dates, he may break his fast on water or on any permissible food. If he finds nothing, he only has to intend to break his fast till he finds anything to do so.

9. The Sunnah for a fasting person is to make many good deeds and abstain from all prohibitions.

10. The fasting persons have to stick to obligations and abstain from prohibitions. They have to perform the five daily prayers in a congregation on time if they have no excuse to perform prayers individually. They have to give up lying, gossip and backbiting, cheating, all usury transactions and every prohibited saying or deed.

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Whoever does not give up forged speech and acting upon it, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)" [Reported by Al-Bukhari]

All praise to Allah, Lord of the Realms Prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and Upon all his family and companions.

Written by: Muhammad Ibn Saleh Al-‘Othaymeen



Translated by Wathakker.info website