What is Fasting (Ṣawm)?
Fasting in Islam means abstaining from:
• Food and drink
• Sexual activity
• Intentional ejaculation
• Anything that invalidates the fast
From true dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib), with a clear intention to fast that day.
Reference:
Qur’an 2:187 – ”…And 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.”.
Who Must Fast?
Fasting Ramadan is fard (obligatory) for anyone who is:
• Muslim
• Reached puberty
• Sane
• Healthy
• Resident (not traveling)
Qur’an 2:183 – “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you may attain taqwa (consciousness of God).”
Valid Excuses to Skip
• Illness (temporary or chronic)
• Travel (with hardship)
• Menstruation
• Postpartum bleeding
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding (if fasting harms mother or child)
Qur’an 2:184–185 – Ill or traveling? Make up missed days later. Chronically ill? Pay fidyah.
What Breaks the Fast
• Eating or drinking deliberately
• Sexual intercourse
• Deliberate ejaculation
• Menstrual or postpartum bleeding
• Vomiting intentionally
Hadith (Bukhari, Muslim) confirms these as nullifiers.