✦ By: ʿUbaydullah Tahir ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Intention for an Obligatory Fast Must Be Made Before Fajr
❀ Ḥadīth:
«عن حفصة رضي الله عنها عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: من لم يجمع الصيام قبل الفجر، فلا صيام له »
Narrated by Ḥafṣah رضي الله عنها that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever does not firmly intend the fast before Fajr, then there is no fast for him.”
[Sunan Abū Dāwūd 2454, Sunan al-Tirmidhī 730, Sunan al-Nasāʾī 2331, Ṣaḥīḥ]
✔ Important Notes:
① It is obligatory to make the intention before the break of dawn (Fajr) for any compulsory fast.
② The intention may be made at any time during the night before Fajr.
③ It is not a condition to utter the intention verbally; a firm decision in the heart is sufficient.
④ This ruling applies to:
- Fasts of Ramadan
- Make-up (Qaḍāʾ) of Ramadan fasts
- Vow (Nadhr) fasts
⑤ For voluntary (Nafl) fasts, making the intention after Fajr is also permissible.
