The Essentials of Fasting

The Essentials of Fasting

There are two essential conditions for the validity of the fast:
Abstention from all acts that break the fast – This is based on the words of Allah:

"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."

Intention (niyyah), for Allah has said in the Qur'ān:

And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion.

Sincere intent to do something only for the acceptance of Allah is an essential condition of worship, the other one being correctness of the act according to the Shari‘ah. The Messenger of Allah () said, “Actions are only by intention,31 and for every person is only what he intended.” (Al-Bukhāri and Muslim)

For obligatory fasting, the intention must be made during any part of the night before fajr.32 The Prophet () said: “Whoever does not resolve to fast before fajr has no fast.” (Aḥmad - ṣaḥeeḥ)

The intention is not to be pronounced by the tongue, but is an act of the heart and mind. One intends to fast in obedience to Allah, seeking His acceptance and drawing nearer to Him.

Beginning and Ending the Fast

A person who fasts may eat, drink and have marital relations during the night hours from maghrib (sunset) to fajr (dawn). If one is engaged in any of these things at the onset of fajr he must stop immediately. Should he continue, his fast for that day will not be valid. The Qur'ānic order is explicit: "Eat and drink until the white thread of the dawn becomes distinct from the black thread [of night]."
But as long as one is in doubt about whether or not the time of fajr has come, he may continue to eat and drink until he becomes certain of it. He should not base the beginning of his fast on uncertainty or speculation. And one need not stop eating some time before fajr just to be on the safe side.35 Ibn ‘Abbās instructed, “Continue to eat until you are certain about the time.” And Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal said, “If you have some doubt about fajr, eat until you are sure it has come.” Imām an-Nawawi added, “The followers of ash-Shāfi‘i agree that one may eat when he is uncertain whether or not the dawn has come.” However, as soon as he knows that fajr has come one must stop eating and drinking.
As for breaking the fast at maghrib, it is to be done as soon as the sun has set, i.e., when the top of the sun disappears into the horizon. It is not permissible to break the fast when one is not sure whether or not the sun has set. But if the fasting person believes the sun has set and breaks his fast, and then finds that it had not set, there is no sin on him. Evidence for this is the report by Asmā’ bint Abi Bakr. She said, "We broke our fast on a cloudy day during the time of the Prophet (sallallahu allihi wassalam), and then the sun appeared." (Al-Bukhāri)
It is clear from this narration that they did not break their fast on the basis of certain knowledge, because in that case the sun would not have reappeared. Rather, they did so thinking that most likely it had set, then the clouds dispersed and the saw the sun. If their fast had been invalidated because of that and it was necessary to make up that day, the Prophet (sallallahu allihi wassalam) would have ordered them to do so and his companions would have known it and passed on the information.

Expiation (Kaffārah)

As previously mentioned, there are two cases in which an expiation is required whenever it is within the means of the Muslim to offer it. First is the penalty for marital intercourse during a day of Ramadhān,50 normally a fast of sixty days consecutively or, if one is unable, feeding sixty poor people. In case one is himself too poor to do so he must offer a lesser ṣadaqah (charity) of some kind according to his means.

Second is compensation for inability to fast. This is not due to any sin but merely to continuous inability due to chronic illness or the weakness of old age. For such people, by feeding a poor person in place of each day not fasted in Ramadhān the obligation to Allah is fulfilled. And when there is inability to do even this, Allah does not burden any soul with more than its capacity and has said':'

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ

Then fear Allah as much as you are able.