Fasting in the sacred Sharia of Islam is that a person, with the intention of obeying the command of Allah, refrains from eating, drinking, and other things that will be detailed later, throughout the day (from dawn until sunset).
Fasting in Islam
The criterion for the time of fasting in Islamic law is the true dawn (Fajr al-Sadiq), not the false dawn, and its confirmation is up to the discretion of the individual. There is no difference between moonlit and non-moonlit nights regarding the beginning of Fajr (the time to begin abstaining for fasting). It is recommended that devout Muslims, may Allah aid them, begin their fast at the time of the dawn azan (call to prayer).
Once it is confirmed that the azan has started when the time for Fajr has entered, it is permissible to break the fast as soon as the azan starts; waiting until the end of the azan is not necessary.
Types of Fasting
Fasting is divided into four types:
Obligatory fasting, such as the fasting during the blessed month of Ramadan.
Recommended fasting, such as fasting during the months of Rajab and Sha'ban.
Disliked fasting, such as fasting on the day of Ashura.
Forbidden fasting, such as fasting on Eid al-Fitr (the first day of Shawwal) and Eid al-Adha (the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah).
Note:
If someone knows or fears that fasting will harm them, they must abandon the fast, and if they fast, it will be invalid and forbidden. Whether the certainty or fear of harm is based on personal experience, advice from a trusted doctor, or rational grounds, the judgment is the same.
The criterion for the effect of fasting on causing or worsening illness and on the ability to fast is the fasting person's own judgment. For example, if a doctor says fasting is harmful, but the individual has experienced that fasting does not harm them, they should continue fasting. However, if the doctor says fasting does not harm but the person knows or fears that fasting would harm them, they should refrain from fasting.
If someone believes fasting will not harm them and fasts, but later discovers it caused harm, they must make up the fast.
Doctors advising against fasting due to harm can only be trusted if their advice is convincing or leads to a reasonable fear of harm; otherwise, their advice is not authoritative.
Obligatory Fasting (Wajib Fasting)
The following types of fasting are obligatory:
Fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Fasting for making up missed fasts.
Fasting as an expiation (Kaffara).
Fasting to make up for the fasting of a parent.
Fasting that has been made obligatory through a vow, promise, or oath.
Fasting on the third day of the I'tikaf (spiritual retreat).
Fasting in lieu of sacrificing an animal during Hajj.
Conditions for Obligatory Fasting:
For an individual to be required to fast in Ramadan, the following conditions must be met:
First and Second Condition: The person must be of age and sound mind. If a child reaches maturity before Fajr (dawn) during Ramadan, they must fast that day; if they mature after Fajr, they are not required to fast that day but it is recommended that they complete the fast if they intended to do so.
Third Condition: The individual must not be unconscious. If a person becomes unconscious and thus unable to have the valid intention for fasting, fasting is not required. If they were not intending to fast before becoming unconscious and regain consciousness after Maghrib (sunset), they do not need to make up that day's fast.
Fourth Condition: If the person is a woman, she must be free from menstruation or postnatal bleeding (Nifas). If a woman is menstruating or in postnatal bleeding, fasting is not obligatory, even if the bleeding lasts part of the day, and she must make up the fast once the condition ends.
Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Conditions: Fasting must not cause harm, extreme difficulty, or involve any religious prohibition. For example:
Someone who finds fasting harmful to their health or unbearable due to extreme heat or the length of the day must not fast unless they are certain it will not harm them.
A pregnant woman whose fasting could harm her or the baby should not fast.
A nursing mother who fears fasting will harm her or her baby should avoid fasting.
Expiation for Breaking the Fast (Kaffara)
If a person intentionally breaks their fast, the expiation (Kaffara) is required. This involves:
Providing 60 meals to 60 needy people.
Alternatively, fasting for 60 days.
For non-intentional breaking of the fast, such as a woman who is pregnant or breastfeeding, the Kaffara involves providing one meal to a poor person for each day missed.
Invalidating the Fast (Causative Actions)
If someone intentionally invalidates a fast during Ramadan, such as eating, drinking, or engaging in other invalidating actions, they must:
Repent sincerely to Allah.
Make up the missed fast (Qada).
Pay the Kaffara (expiation) for breaking the fast, which involves fasting for two months, feeding 60 poor people, or freeing a slave.
Invalidating a Qada Fast
If someone intentionally invalidates a Qada (missed) fast of Ramadan, they can break the fast before noon, but doing so after noon is prohibited and requires expiation.
Cases Where Making Up a Missed Fast is Not Required:
A person who was insane and becomes sane does not have to make up fasts for the time they were insane.
A person who reaches maturity does not need to make up the fasts they missed before reaching maturity.
A person who was a non-Muslim and then converts to Islam does not have to make up missed fasts.
If someone was unconscious or in a coma and did not intend to fast during that time, they do not need to make up those fasts.
Fasts missed due to menstruation or postnatal bleeding are not required to be made up if the person dies before they can do so.
Cases Where Making Up a Missed Fast is Required:
Fasts missed due to intoxication (even if the intoxication was for treatment) must be made up.
A person who becomes a Muslim after having been an apostate (i.e., converted to Islam again) must make up the fasts from when they were apostate.
Fasts missed due to travel where fasting is not permitted must be made up once the reason for not fasting has ended.
A person who was not fasting in accordance with the Shia faith must make up those fasts once they convert to Shia Islam.
