❖ Actions That Invalidate the Fast ❖
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Allah Almighty states:
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ
“Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the night.”
[Al-Baqarah: 187]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
والذي نفسي بيده لخلوف فم الصائم أطيب عند الله من ريح المسك يترك طعامه وشرابه وشهوته من أجلي
“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the smell from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk. He leaves his food, drink, and desires for My sake.”
[Bukhari: 1894, Kitāb al-Ṣawm: Bāb Faḍl al-Ṣawm; Aḥmad: 7179; Muwaṭṭa: 602]
There is consensus (ijmāʿ) that if a person deliberately eats or drinks, the fast is invalidated.
[Al-Mughnī: 4/350]
There is no expiation or qadhā (makeup) required if one eats or drinks forgetfully, and the fast remains valid.
➊ Ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
من نسى وهو صائم فأكل أو شرب فليتم صومه فإنما أطعمه الله وسقاه
“Whoever forgets while he is fasting and eats or drinks, let him complete his fast, for it is Allah who has fed him and given him drink.”
[Bukhari: 1933; Muslim: 1155; Abū Dāwūd: 2398; Tirmidhī: 717; Dārimī: 1/346; Aḥmad: 2/395; Dār Quṭnī: 2/178; Ibn Khuzaymah: 3/238; Bayhaqī: 4/229]
➋ Another narration states:
فإنما هو رزق رزقه الله
“Indeed, it is sustenance Allah has provided him.”
[Tirmidhī, ʿĀriḍat al-Aḥwadhī: 3/246–247]
➌ Another narration declares:
من أفطر فى رمضان ناسيا فلا قضاء عليه ولا كفارة
“If someone breaks the fast of Ramadan forgetfully, there is no qadhā or kaffārah upon him.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ḥākim: 1/430; Dār Quṭnī: 2/178; Ibn Khuzaymah: 3/239; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 4/157; Al-Ṭaʿlīq ʿalā Sabil al-Salām by Ṣubḥī Ḥallāq: 4/137]
Thus, if a fasting person forgetfully does something that would normally invalidate the fast, the fast remains valid.
✔ The Majority (Jumhūr) hold this view.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/178; Al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/542; Sabil al-Salām: 4/137]
✖ Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) held that one who eats forgetfully has invalidated the fast and must make it up.
[Al-Mughnī: 4/327]
This view contradicts explicit ḥadīth.
Allah says:
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَى نِسَائِكُمْ
“It has been made lawful for you to approach your wives during the nights of fasting.”
[Al-Baqarah: 187]
This indicates that such an act during the day is prohibited.
Narrated from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I am ruined!”
The Prophet ﷺ asked: “What has ruined you?”
He replied: “I had intercourse with my wife during Ramadan.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ instructed:
① “Can you free a slave?”
— “No.”
② “Can you fast two consecutive months?”
— “No.”
③ “Can you feed sixty poor people?”
— “No.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ gave him a basket of dates to give as charity.
[Bukhari: 1936; Muslim: 111; Muwaṭṭa: 1/296; Abū Dāwūd: 2390; Tirmidhī: 724; Ibn Mājah: 681; Dārimī: 1/343; Aḥmad: 2/208; Dār Quṭnī: 2/190]
Ibn Mājah narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
وصم يوما مكانه
“Fast one day in its place.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ibn Mājah: 1356; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 940]
Abū Dāwūd’s version states:
وصم يوما واستغفر الله
“Fast one day and seek forgiveness from Allah.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2096]
These narrations prove that both expiation and qadhā are obligatory on someone who has intercourse while fasting.
✔ The Majority (Jumhūr):
No kaffārah is required if intercourse occurred forgetfully. They draw an analogy between eating/drinking and intercourse, and support it with the narration:
من أفطر فى رمضان ناسيا فلا قضاء عليه ولا كفارة
“If someone breaks the fast of Ramadan forgetfully, there is no qadhā or kaffārah upon him.”
[Ḥākim: 1/3430; Dār Quṭnī: 2/178]
✖ Imām Aḥmad (رحمه الله):
He held that kaffārah is still required, reasoning that the Prophet ﷺ did not ask the man whether the act was deliberate or forgetful.
✔ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
He supported the opinion of the majority.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/188; Al-Mughnī: 4/372; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 4/670]
Narrated from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
من ذرعه القيئ وهو صائم فليس عليه قضاء وإن استقاء فليقض
“Whoever is overcome by vomiting while fasting, there is no qadhā upon him. But if he vomits deliberately, he must make it up.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Abū Dāwūd: 2084; Tirmidhī: 716; Ibn Mājah: 1676; Aḥmad: 2/498; Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār: 2/97; Dār Quṭnī: 2/184; Ḥākim: 1/427; Bayhaqī: 4/219; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1906]
✔ Ibn al-Mundhir (رحمه الله): There is ijmāʿ (consensus) on this matter.
[Al-Ijmāʿ by Ibn al-Mundhir: p. 52, 124]
✔ Al-Khaṭṭābī (رحمه الله):
“I do not know of any disagreement among scholars on this issue.”
[Maʿālim al-Sunan: 3/261]
✔ Ibn Qudāmah (رحمه الله):
The majority of scholars agree with this view.
[Al-Mughnī: 3/117]
✔ Ibn Ḥazm (رحمه الله):
He reported consensus (ijmāʿ) on it.
[Al-Muḥallā: 6/255]
Narration:
ثلاث لا يفطرن القئ والحجامة والاحتلام
“Three things do not break the fast: vomiting, cupping, and wet dreams.”
This narration is weak, and thus cannot be relied upon.
[Ḍaʿīf: Tirmidhī: 114, 719]
The chain contains ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd ibn Aslam, who is weak.
[Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 1/480; Al-Kāshif: 2/146; Al-Mughnī: 2/380; Mizān al-Iʿtidāl: 2/564; Al-Majrūḥīn: 2/57; Kitāb al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl: 5/233]
❖ Invalidators of Fasting (If Done Deliberately):
① Eating
② Drinking
③ Sexual intercourse
④ Induced vomiting
❖ Exceptions (Fast Remains Valid):
– If any of these are done forgetfully
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
➊ Deliberately Eating, Drinking, Sexual Intercourse, and Vomiting Break the Fast
Allah Almighty states:
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ
“Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the night.”
[Al-Baqarah: 187]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
والذي نفسي بيده لخلوف فم الصائم أطيب عند الله من ريح المسك يترك طعامه وشرابه وشهوته من أجلي
“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, the smell from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk. He leaves his food, drink, and desires for My sake.”
[Bukhari: 1894, Kitāb al-Ṣawm: Bāb Faḍl al-Ṣawm; Aḥmad: 7179; Muwaṭṭa: 602]
There is consensus (ijmāʿ) that if a person deliberately eats or drinks, the fast is invalidated.
[Al-Mughnī: 4/350]
❖ If One Eats or Drinks Forgetfully
There is no expiation or qadhā (makeup) required if one eats or drinks forgetfully, and the fast remains valid.
➊ Ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
The Prophet ﷺ said:
من نسى وهو صائم فأكل أو شرب فليتم صومه فإنما أطعمه الله وسقاه
“Whoever forgets while he is fasting and eats or drinks, let him complete his fast, for it is Allah who has fed him and given him drink.”
[Bukhari: 1933; Muslim: 1155; Abū Dāwūd: 2398; Tirmidhī: 717; Dārimī: 1/346; Aḥmad: 2/395; Dār Quṭnī: 2/178; Ibn Khuzaymah: 3/238; Bayhaqī: 4/229]
➋ Another narration states:
فإنما هو رزق رزقه الله
“Indeed, it is sustenance Allah has provided him.”
[Tirmidhī, ʿĀriḍat al-Aḥwadhī: 3/246–247]
➌ Another narration declares:
من أفطر فى رمضان ناسيا فلا قضاء عليه ولا كفارة
“If someone breaks the fast of Ramadan forgetfully, there is no qadhā or kaffārah upon him.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ḥākim: 1/430; Dār Quṭnī: 2/178; Ibn Khuzaymah: 3/239; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 4/157; Al-Ṭaʿlīq ʿalā Sabil al-Salām by Ṣubḥī Ḥallāq: 4/137]
Thus, if a fasting person forgetfully does something that would normally invalidate the fast, the fast remains valid.✔ The Majority (Jumhūr) hold this view.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/178; Al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/542; Sabil al-Salām: 4/137]
✖ Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) held that one who eats forgetfully has invalidated the fast and must make it up.
[Al-Mughnī: 4/327]
This view contradicts explicit ḥadīth.❖ Ruling on Intercourse During the Day in Ramadan
Allah says:
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَى نِسَائِكُمْ
“It has been made lawful for you to approach your wives during the nights of fasting.”
[Al-Baqarah: 187]
This indicates that such an act during the day is prohibited.❖ Ḥadīth of Expiation for Intercourse During Ramadan
Narrated from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I am ruined!”
The Prophet ﷺ asked: “What has ruined you?”
He replied: “I had intercourse with my wife during Ramadan.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ instructed:
① “Can you free a slave?”
— “No.”
② “Can you fast two consecutive months?”
— “No.”
③ “Can you feed sixty poor people?”
— “No.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ gave him a basket of dates to give as charity.
[Bukhari: 1936; Muslim: 111; Muwaṭṭa: 1/296; Abū Dāwūd: 2390; Tirmidhī: 724; Ibn Mājah: 681; Dārimī: 1/343; Aḥmad: 2/208; Dār Quṭnī: 2/190]
Ibn Mājah narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
وصم يوما مكانه
“Fast one day in its place.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ibn Mājah: 1356; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 940]
Abū Dāwūd’s version states:
وصم يوما واستغفر الله
“Fast one day and seek forgiveness from Allah.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2096]
These narrations prove that both expiation and qadhā are obligatory on someone who has intercourse while fasting.❖ If Intercourse Happens Forgetfully
✔ The Majority (Jumhūr):
No kaffārah is required if intercourse occurred forgetfully. They draw an analogy between eating/drinking and intercourse, and support it with the narration:
من أفطر فى رمضان ناسيا فلا قضاء عليه ولا كفارة
“If someone breaks the fast of Ramadan forgetfully, there is no qadhā or kaffārah upon him.”
[Ḥākim: 1/3430; Dār Quṭnī: 2/178]
✖ Imām Aḥmad (رحمه الله):
He held that kaffārah is still required, reasoning that the Prophet ﷺ did not ask the man whether the act was deliberate or forgetful.
✔ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
He supported the opinion of the majority.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/188; Al-Mughnī: 4/372; Fatḥ al-Bārī: 4/670]
❖ Ruling on Vomiting While Fasting
Narrated from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
من ذرعه القيئ وهو صائم فليس عليه قضاء وإن استقاء فليقض
“Whoever is overcome by vomiting while fasting, there is no qadhā upon him. But if he vomits deliberately, he must make it up.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Abū Dāwūd: 2084; Tirmidhī: 716; Ibn Mājah: 1676; Aḥmad: 2/498; Sharḥ Maʿānī al-Āthār: 2/97; Dār Quṭnī: 2/184; Ḥākim: 1/427; Bayhaqī: 4/219; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1906]
✔ Ibn al-Mundhir (رحمه الله): There is ijmāʿ (consensus) on this matter.
[Al-Ijmāʿ by Ibn al-Mundhir: p. 52, 124]
✔ Al-Khaṭṭābī (رحمه الله):
“I do not know of any disagreement among scholars on this issue.”
[Maʿālim al-Sunan: 3/261]
✔ Ibn Qudāmah (رحمه الله):
The majority of scholars agree with this view.
[Al-Mughnī: 3/117]
✔ Ibn Ḥazm (رحمه الله):
He reported consensus (ijmāʿ) on it.
[Al-Muḥallā: 6/255]
❖ A Weak Narration Regarding Vomiting, Cupping, and Wet Dreams
Narration:
ثلاث لا يفطرن القئ والحجامة والاحتلام
“Three things do not break the fast: vomiting, cupping, and wet dreams.”
This narration is weak, and thus cannot be relied upon.[Ḍaʿīf: Tirmidhī: 114, 719]
The chain contains ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd ibn Aslam, who is weak.
[Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb: 1/480; Al-Kāshif: 2/146; Al-Mughnī: 2/380; Mizān al-Iʿtidāl: 2/564; Al-Majrūḥīn: 2/57; Kitāb al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl: 5/233]
✔ Summary of Rulings:
❖ Invalidators of Fasting (If Done Deliberately):
① Eating
② Drinking
③ Sexual intercourse
④ Induced vomiting
❖ Exceptions (Fast Remains Valid):
– If any of these are done forgetfully
