❀ Actions That Invalidate the Fast According to the Qur’an, Hadith, and the Understanding of the Companions ❀
✍️ Written by: Qari Usama bin Abdus-Salaam (ḥafiẓahullāh)
❖ Introduction
Fasting is a great act of worship. It is not limited to abstaining from food and drink alone but serves as a powerful reminder to refrain from all evil and impermissible deeds. There are certain acts that are strictly prohibited during fasting, and committing them invalidates the fast.
Below is a detailed explanation of such actions in the light of the Qur’an, Prophetic traditions (Ahadith), and the understanding of the noble Companions (رضي الله عنهم):
① Eating and Drinking Invalidates the Fast
Qur’anic Reference:
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلْخَيْطُ ٱلْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْطِ ٱلْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ ٱلْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيْلِ
(Al-Baqarah: 187)
This verse clearly states that eating and drinking after the break of dawn invalidates the fast.
Hadith:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“If someone forgets and eats or drinks, he should complete his fast, for it is Allah Who fed him and gave him drink.”
(Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6669, Saḥīḥ Muslim: 1155)
Ruling:
If someone deliberately eats or drinks, their fast is nullified. However, if done forgetfully, the fast remains valid.
② Engaging in Intercourse with One’s Wife
Qur’anic Reference:
فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ
(Al-Baqarah: 187)
This verse shows that intercourse is allowed during the nights of Ramadan, but doing so during the day breaks the fast.
Hadith:
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه):
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“I am ruined!”
The Prophet ﷺ asked: “What happened?”
He replied: “I had intercourse with my wife while fasting.”
The Prophet ﷺ then instructed him to:
• Free a slave,
• Or fast for two consecutive months,
• Or feed sixty poor people.
(Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1936, Saḥīḥ Muslim: 1111)
Ruling:
Engaging in sexual intercourse during fasting invalidates the fast and expiation (kaffārah) is obligatory.
③ Inducing Vomiting Intentionally
Hadith:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever is overcome by vomiting does not need to make up the fast. But whoever vomits intentionally must make it up.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 2380, Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 720)
Ruling:
If vomiting occurs unintentionally, the fast remains valid. However, intentional vomiting breaks the fast, and making it up (qaḍāʼ) becomes obligatory.
④ Fasting During Menstruation or Postnatal Bleeding
Hadith:
Narrated by ʿĀʼishah (رضي الله عنها):
“We were commanded to make up the fasts (missed due to menstruation) but not the prayers.”
(Saḥīḥ Muslim: 335)
Ruling:
A woman cannot fast during menstruation or postnatal bleeding, and she must make up the missed fasts afterward.
⑤ Masturbation (Istimnāʼ)
Hadith:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Fasting is not only abstaining from food and drink, but also from bad manners and sins.”
(Saḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 1903)
Ruling:
If masturbation leads to ejaculation, the fast is nullified, and making it up is required.
⑥ Deliberate Ejaculation Through Touch or Kissing
According to Al-Mughnī (3/128):
“If a man kisses or touches his wife and ejaculates, then his fast is invalidated.”
Ruling:
If a person deliberately stimulates desire leading to ejaculation, the fast is invalidated, and qaḍāʼ is obligatory.
⑦ Deliberately Drawing Out Blood (Cupping/Hijāmah)
Hadith:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The one who performs cupping and the one who gets cupped both break their fast.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 2367, Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 774)
Ruling:
Deliberately removing large amounts of blood can invalidate the fast. However, minor bleeding, such as a nosebleed or tooth extraction, does not break the fast.
✅ Conclusion
These are the actions that invalidate fasting as per the Qur’an, authentic Ahadith, and the understanding of the Companions (رضي الله عنهم).
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“If a person does not refrain from false speech and acting upon it, then Allah is not in need of him abstaining from food and drink.”
(Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1903)
🕊 True Fasting:
We must observe the external conditions of fasting, but more importantly, we must also guard our souls from sins and maintain spiritual integrity.
