CONTENTS

   Fasting [Sawm] 

Conditions By Which Fasting Is Obligatory And Valid 

Q 739: A young girl has reached the age of legal maturity [taklif] however; she cannot fast in the month of Ramadhan due to her weak constitution. She is also unable to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the missed days of fasting until the next Ramadhan. What is the ruling in this situation?

A: The obligation of fasting or performing the belated accomplishment [qadha] for the missed fasts is not removed just because of weakness. Rather, the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the missed days of fasting in Ramadhan will remain obligatory upon her.

Q 740: What is the ruling for those girls who have recently reached puberty and find it somewhat difficult to fast? Is nine years the age when girls become mature?

A: The legal age of puberty for girls start at the completion of nine lunar years, hence it is obligatory for them to fast. It is not permissible to forsake fasting due to some excuse. However, if fasting during the day becomes harmful for them, it is permissible to break the fast.

Q741: I do not know exactly when I reached the age of legal maturity [taklif], as I was not aware of this issue at that time. Please clarify, from which time is it obligatory for me to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of missed prayers and fasts? Is it obligatory for, me to pay the atonement [kaffarah] for the missed fasts or is the belated accomplishment [qadha] sufficient?

A: You are only responsible for the belated accomplishment [qadha] from the time that you are certain that you reached the age of legal maturity [taklif]. Payment of the atonement [kaffarah] is obligatory for fasts that were intentionally broken by persons who were certain that he/she was legally mature.

Q 742: A nine-year old girl upon whom it is obligatory to fast, breaks her fast because fasting was very hard for her. Does she have to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of those fast?

A: Yes, she will have to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the Ramadhan fast that she broke.

Q 743: Someone with a strong excuse thought it likely, with more than 50% probability, that fasting was not obligatory for him, so he did not fast. Later it becomes clear to him that fasting was obligatory on him at that time. What is the ruling in respect of performing the belated accomplishment [qadha] and paying atonement [kaffarah]?

A: If one breaks a fast in the month of Ramadhan, assuming that fasting is not obligatory upon him, then he must carry out its belated accomplishment [qadha] and also pay the atonement [kaffarah]. However, if one did not fast out of fear that fasting was harmful for him, then it is not necessary for him to pay atonement [kaffarah], but he must perform the belated accomplishment [qadha].

Q 744: A person performing military service could not fast during the month of Ramadhan last year because of frequent traveling and being stationed on base (in the service). As Ramadhan approaches this year, he is still serving in the same area and does not think he will be able to fast this year, either. Does he have to pay the atonement [kaffarah] after leaving the service, in addition to performing the belated accomplishment [qadha] of those fast?

A: When someone forgoes fasting in the month of Ramadhan because of the excuse of traveling, which extends until the next Ramadhan, his only duty is to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] and no atonement [kaffarah] is obligatory upon him.

Q 745: A fasting person was unaware that he was in the state of janabah [major ritual impurity - caused by discharged semen] until the time of the afternoon prayers. He then performed the major ablution via submerging the whole body in water [ghusul al-irtimasi]. Does this invalidate his fast? And if he realizes what he has done only after performing ghusul al-irtimasi, does he have to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the fast?

A: If one performs ghusul al-irtimasi out of forgetfulness or unintentionally (to the fact that he is fasting), then both his fast and the major ablution [ghusul] are valid; thus, he does not have to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the fast.

Q 746: A person who is fasting had planned to reach his place of residence before time of the afternoon prayers. But, along the way he came across an accident that delayed him, hence he did not reach his residency in time. Is his fast valid? Does he have to pay atonement [kaffarah] or will performing the belated accomplishment [qadha] be sufficient?

A: His fast is invalid while traveling and it is only obligatory upon him to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] (of fasting) for the day in which he did not reach his place of residency, and he does not have to pay atonement [kaffarah].

Q 747: A passenger or a crewmember aboard an airplane flying at a high altitude and bound for a distant city - a 2 1/2 to 3 hour journey - has to drink water every 20 minutes to maintain his equilibrium. Does he/she have to pay an atonement [kaffarah] in addition to performing the belated accomplishment [qadha]?

A: If fasting causes harm, one can break the fast to drink water. He will have to perform its belated accomplishment [qadha], but atonement [kaffarah] will not be obligatory on him in this case.

Q 748: If a woman's periods begin two hours or more before the maghrib prayers in the month of Ramadhan, will her fast be null and void for that day?

A: Yes, her fast is void.

Q 749: What rule applies to someone who immerses himself in water wearing waterproof clothing such as a diving suit which does not allow the body to become wet?

A: If the clothing has close contact with his head, there is a problem in his fast being valid. Hence, as an obligatory precaution he should perform its belated accomplishment [qadha].

Q 750: Is it permitted for a person to travel intentionally during the month of Ramadhan in order to break the fast and relieve himself of its burden?

A: There is no problem in doing that. Therefore, when traveling, even to escape the duty of fasting, he must break the fast.

Q 751: A person responsible for performing an obligatory fast, decided to fulfill his duty, but could not because of unforeseen circumstances. For example, he prepared to travel after sunrise - he travels, but failed to return home before noon. He had not done anything that invalidates the fast, except that the time for making intentions of an obligatory fast has elapsed; and that day is one in which fasting is recommended. Is it valid if he makes intention to perform a recommended fast?

A: When one is responsible for the belated accomplishment [qadha] of Ramadhan fasting day, it is invalid to make intentions to perform a recommended fast, even if the time for making intentions for performing an obligatory fast has passed.

Q 752: I am addicted to smoking. No matter how much I try not to be irritable in the blessed month of Ramadhan, I can not abstain from a conduct that disrupts the peace of my family and puts me into a nervous state. What is my duty in this situation?

A: It is obligatory upon you to fast in the month of Ramadhan and it is not permissible for you to smoke while fasting. Also, acting irritably with others without justification is unlawful - and refraining from smoking has no relation to anger.

Pregnant and Nursing Women

Q753: Is fasting obligatory for a pregnant woman in the first few months of pregnancy?

A: Pregnancy alone does not relieve someone of the obligation of fasting. But, if she has a reasonable fear that fasting would be harmful for herself or the baby, then it is not obligatory for her to fast.

Q 754: A pregnant woman does not know whether fasting will harm the baby or not. Does she have to fast?

A: If she has reasonable grounds to fear that fasting would harm her baby, then it is not obligatory for her to fast, otherwise she must fast.

Q 755: A pregnant woman fasted while she was breast-feeding her baby. When she delivered, the baby was found dead. From the beginning she had thought that her fasting might be harmful, but she fasted nevertheless. 1. Was her fasting valid? 2. Is she liable to pay blood money? 3. What is the ruling in her case, if she did not think that fasting would be harmful, but later found it to be otherwise?

A: If she fasted even after she had reasonable fears that fasting would be harmful to her or her baby, or she discovered later that fasting was harmful to herself or her baby, then her fast is invalid, and she has to perform its belated accomplishment [qadha]. However, the liability of paying the blood money depends upon proving that her fasting caused the death of the fetus.

Q 756: Upon delivery, God Almighty blessed me with a son who is being breast-fed. The blessed month of Ramadhan is approaching, and at present, I am capable of fasting. However, if I fast, my milk will dry up, as I have a weak constitution - and my baby wants milk every ten minutes. What should I do?

A: If there is fear of harm to your baby due to a decrease in the quantity of milk or the drying up of the milk caused by fasting, it is permissible for you to break the fast. And for every day you missed the fast, you have to give [one mudd] 750 grams of food to the poor, in addition to performing the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the missed fasts, later.

Illness and Restriction by a Physician

Q 757: Some physicians who are not truly committed to Islamic laws forbid their patients to fast, claiming that fasting is detrimental to their health. Should their orders be acted upon or not?

A: If the physician cannot be trusted and one does not have confidence in his statements, in addition to not having the fear of harm (in fasting), then his statements are not worthy of notice.

Q 758: My mother was ill for a period of almost 13 years and could not fast. I know for certain that what prevented her from this duty was her need to take medicine. Please tell us if it is obligatory for her to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] for these lapsed fasts.

A: If she was not able to fast due to her illness, she does not have to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] for those days.

Q 759: I did not fast since reaching the age of puberty until I was twelve years old because I was physically too weak to do so. What should I do now in this regard?

A: You should perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] for the days of fasting that you did not perform after becoming legally mature. And if you deliberately - voluntarily and without a legitimate excuse - did not fast, then you will have to pay the atonement [kaffarah] as well.

Q 760: An ophthalmologist ordered me not to fast due to an eye disease. But, as I was not convinced I began fasting. However, while fasting I felt a pain in the afternoons on some days, and at night (after breaking the fast) on other days. Now (confused), I wonder whether I should refrain from fasting or bear the pain until sunset - basically, is it obligatory for me to fast? And should I maintain the fast on the days when I am not certain whether I can continue fasting until sunset or not? What should my intentions be?

A: If you trust the orders of your physician, or you fear that fasting might be harmful for your health, then you should not fast. In fact, it is not permissible for you to fast in such a situation, and the intention to fast is not correct when there is fear of harm. When there is no fear of harm, there is no obstacle to your fasting, but the validity of your fast will depend on the actual absence of harm.

Q 761: I wear medical glasses and at the present, I am physically very weak. The doctors tell me that if I do not strengthen my physique my eyesight will get weaker. If I am unable to perform the Ramadhan fasts, what is my duty?

A: If fasting is harmful for your eyes, you are not obligated to fast; in fact, it is obligatory that you refrain from fasting. And if your eyesight does not get better until the next Ramadhan, then your duty is to give [one mudd] 750 grams of food to the needy for every day that you did not fast.

Q 762: My mother is seriously sick, and my father is also physically weak. Nevertheless, both of them fast. Sometimes, it is quite evident that fasting aggravates their illness. So far, I have not been able to persuade them to refrain from fasting at least at times when their illness is serious. Please guide us concerning the rule that applies to their fasting?

A: The criterion in determining the inability to fast, or whether fasting causes illness, or aggravates it, is the opinion of the fasting person himself. However, if it is known that fasting is harmful for him and he still decides to fast, it is unlawful.

Q 763: Last year I had surgery on my kidneys, and the surgeon ordered me not to fast for the rest of my life. However, I eat and drink normally and do not feel any signs of illness. What is my duty?

A: If you personally do not fear any harm to fast and there is no legitimate ground for that (fear), you are obligated to fast during the month of Ramadhan.

Q 764: Since some physicians are not aware of Islamic laws, should the patient obey a physician's order if he forbids fasting?

A: If the patient trusts the physician's statement that fasting is harmful for him or is led to believe that it is so - either on the basis of his statements or on some other reasonable grounds - then it is not obligatory for him to fast.

Q765: I have kidney stones and the only way to prevent them from calcifying is to continuously consume fluids. As the doctors have prohibited me from fasting, what is my duty regarding fasting during the blessed month of Ramadhan?

A: If the treatment of your illness requires that you drink water and other fluids during the day, it is not obligatory for you to fast.

Q 766: Diabetics are required to take insulin injections once or twice a day. Also, their meals should not be delayed or taken at long intervals; otherwise they might go into a coma or get fits. That is why physicians advise them to have four meals a day. Please give your opinion concerning their fasting.

A: If abstaining from eating and drinking form dawn to sunset is harmful to their health, fasting is not obligatory on them in fact it is not permissible for them to fast.

Things That Must Be Avoided

Q 767: If a person who is fasting bleeds in the mouth, does it invalidate his fast?

A: Bleeding in the mouth does not void fast. However, the blood should not be swallowed.

Q 768: Please, give your opinion concerning the use of snuff by a person who is fasting.

A: If the use of snuff causes anything to go down the throat from the nose, then it will be forbidden for a person who is fasting.

Q 769: Some people use 'Naas,' which is made up of tobacco and other constituents, and they put it under their tongues for a few minutes, then they spit it out. Does that void the fast?

A: If they swallow the saliva mixed with Naas, then their fast will become void.

Q 770: There is a medicine for asthma patients, which is in the form of a spray containing a vapor-borne powder which enters the patient's lungs through the mouth providing him relief. At times, asthma patients need to use it several times a day. Is it permissible to fast while using such a spray?

A: If what goes into their lungs through the mouth is only air, then their fast is not harmed. But if the air is mixed with medicine in the shape of a powder or dust, the fast 's validity is problematic. Hence, it is obligatory to avoid it. However, if fasting without it is difficult or harmful, using the medicine is permissible.

Q 771: My gums often bleed and the blood gets mixed with saliva. At times I am not sure whether the saliva that enters my throat is mixed with blood or not. Please tell me what I am supposed to do to overcome this problem.

A: If the blood from your gums gets mixed with saliva in a way that it can no longer be distinguished, then the saliva is clean and can be swallowed. if you are not sure whether the saliva is mixed with blood or not, it can still be swallowed without affecting the fast.

Q 772: Once in the holy month of Ramadhan, I forgot to brush my teeth, and some tiny bits of food remained in my mouth. I swallowed the bits unintentionally. Do I have to perform the qadha' for that day's fast? 

A: If you did not know that some bits of food remained in your mouth, or you did not know that they might be swallowed, and they were swallowed unknowingly and unintentionally, then you are not liable to anything in respect of your fast. 

Q773: The gums of a person who is fasting bleeds a lot. Does that invalidate his fast? Moreover, is it permissible to pour water over one's head with a jug? 

A: The blood coming out of the gums does not invalidate the fast unless it is swallowed. Also one's fast is not affected by pouring water over one's head with a jug or something else. 

Q 774: There are certain medicines for feminine illnesses that are applied through the vagina. Does their use invalidate the fast? A. The use of such medicine does not invalidate the fast. 

Q 775: Please explain your view on injections given by dentists or other physicians to persons fasting during the blessed month of Ramadhan? 

A: There is no problem in taking these injections. But if they are nutritional, then precaution is to avoid them during fast. 

Q 776: Does intravenous injection of nutritive fluids, as are given to patients in hospitals, invalidate the fast? 

A: The permissibility of intravenous injection of nutritional fluids into the body during fast is problematic. Therefore, precaution is not to be abandoned in avoiding them.

 Q 777: Is it permissible to take pills for high blood pressure during fasting? 

A: If taking these pills during Ramadhan is necessary for controlling high blood pressure, it is permissible, but it will invalidate the fast. 

Q 778: Since taking tablets for treatment is not commonly regarded as eating or drinking, would taking pills void the fast? 

A: Taking pills through the mouth invalidates the fast. However, inserting through the anus does not affect the fast. 

Q 779: During the month of Ramadhan my wife forced me to have intercourse. What is the rule concerning us? 

A: The rule of intentional breaking of the fast applies to both of you. Hence it is obligatory for the two of you to perform its qadha ' along with its atonement [kaffarah]. 

Q 780: When a man has foreplay with his wife during the day in the month of Ramadhan, does it invalidate his fast? 

A: As long as it does not result in ejaculation, his fast is not affected. Otherwise it is not permissible. 

Intentionally Remaining In The State of Major Impurity [Janabah] 

Q 781: If one stays in the state of major impurity [janabah] (because of some difficulty) until the morning call to prayer [adhan], can he/she fast the following day? 

A: There is no problem if one is performing a fast other than that of Ramadan or its belated accomplishment [qadha]. However, as to the fasting of Ramadhan or its belated accomplishment [qadha], if one has a lawful excuse for not performing ghusl, then it is obligatory to perform dry ablution [tayammum]. And if he does not perform dry ablution [tayammum] either, the fast is invalid.

 Q 782: A person fasts for some days in the state of major impurity [janabah] without knowing that taharah from janabah is required for a valid fast. Does he/she have to pay atonement [kaffarah] for the days fasted in the state of janabah, or it is enough to perform the qadha' of those fasts? 

A: If he woke up in a state of major impurity [janabah] and stayed in that state because of ignorance of the fact that one has to perform major ablution [ghusl] (or dry ablution [tayammum]), then as per precaution he should also pay atonement [kaffarah] in addition to performing their belated accomplishment [qadha]. However, if his ignorance was due to negligence, apparently atonement [kaffarah] is not obligatory upon him, though precaution lies in making the atonement [kaffarah]. 

Q 783: Is it permissible for one to perform major ablution for the state of major impurity [major ablution [ghusl]al-janabah] after sunrise and then perform a belated accomplishment [qadha] or recommended [mustahabb] fast? A: If one deliberately stays in the state of janabah until morning call to prayer [adhan], then his fast is not valid if it is a fast of Ramadhan or one of its belated accomplishment [qadha] fasts. Other than that, it is strongly probable that other fasts are valid, especially recommended ones. 

Q 784: A faithful brother has asked me the following question. He got married ten days prior to the month of Ramadhan. He had heard that the legal ruling regarding a person in a state of major impurity was that if one becomes in that state after the morning call to prayer [adhan] and performs major ablution [ghusl] before the call to the afternoon prayers his fast would be valid (he claims he was convinced that this was the rule). Accordingly, he would have intercourse with his wife on the basis of such a notion. Later, he realized that the rule on the issue was not what he believed it be. What is the ruling concerning this case? 

A: The rule for one who intentionally becomes in a state of major impurity [junub] after morning prayers is the same as that of one who intentionally breaks the fast; that is, both belated accomplishment [qadha] and atonement [kaffarah] are obligatory upon him. 

Q 785: A person staying as a guest in his host's house becomes in a state of major impurity [junub] at night during the month of Ramadhan, As he is a guest and does not have any extra clothes, he decides to travel the following day to avoid fasting. He takes off after the morning call to prayer [adhan] with the intention to travel without breaking the fast. The question is, does his intention to travel relieve him of the atonement [kaffarah] or not?

 A: Neither mere intention of traveling at night nor traveling in the day is sufficient to relieve one of the atonement [kaffarah] if one becomes in a state of major impurity [junub] and knows that he is in the state of major impurity without making an immediate attempt to perform major ablution [ghusl] or dry ablution [tayammum] before dawn.

 Q 786: Is it permissible for one to intentionally become in a state of major impurity [junub] during the night in the month of Ramadhan even if he does not have water or has some other excuse (except shortness of time)? 

A: It is permissible, if his obligation was to perform dry ablution [tayammum] and he had sufficient time to perform it.

 Q 787: A person woke up before the morning call to prayer [adhan] but did not realize that he was in a state of major impurity [junub] and went back to sleep. Later, he woke up during the morning call to prayer [adhan] and realized that he has been in a state of major impurity [junub]. What is the ruling concerning his fast? 

A: If he did not realize that he was in the state of janabah before the morning call to prayer [adhan], then his fast is valid.

 Q 788: A person wakes up after the morning call to prayer [adhan] during the month of Ramadhan and realizes that he in a state of major impurity [junub] and then goes back to sleep to rise some time after sunrise (without performing the morning prayers). Then he delays the major ablution [ghusl] until after the call to the afternoon prayers, and says the afternoon [dhuhr] and late afternoon [asr] prayers. What is the ruling regarding his fast on that day? 

A: His fast is valid, and delaying the major ablution [ghusl] until noon does not affect it. 

Q 789: During the month of Ramadhan a person doubts before the morning call to prayer [adhan] whether he is in a state of major impurity or not. However, he goes back to sleep without ascertaining his doubt. After the morning call to prayer [adhan], he wakes up gain to realize that he had been in a state of janabah. What is the ruling concerning his fast?

 A: If no sign of janabah was observed the first time he woke up but had a mere suspicion that was not confirmed, and he went back to sleep until after the morning call to prayer [adhan], then his fast is valid, even if he finds later that he had been in a state of janabah before the morning call to prayer [adhan]. 

Q 790: A person uses impure [najis] water to perform major ablution [ghusl]during the month of Ramadhan. A week later, he remembers that the water was impure. What is the ruling concerning his prayers and fasts during that period?

 A: His prayers are void and he is liable to their belated accomplishment [qadha], but the days he fasted are valid.

 Q 791: A person suffers from incontinence for a limited duration, i.e., it continues for an hour or more after passing urine. What is the ruling concerning his fast if he is in a state of janabah on some nights and he might wake up an hour before the morning call to prayer [adhan] and it is probable that semen may come out with urine afterwards? What is he to do to start the fast in a state of taharah?

 A: If he performs the major ablution [ghusl]or dry ablution [tayammum] before the morning call to prayer [adhan], his fast is valid, even if there is an involuntarily discharge of semen afterwards. 

Q 792: A person sleeps prior to, or after, the morning call to prayer [adhan]. He becomes in a state of major impurity [junub], realizing it after the morning call to prayer [adhan]. How much time does he have to perform the major ablution [ghusl]? 

A: Being in janabah under the condition stated does not void that day's fast. However, it is obligatory on him to perform the major ablution [ghusl] for prayers, and he may delay it until the time of prayers. 

Q 793: If one forgets to perform janabah bath during the month of Ramadhan, or during other days, and remembers during the day, what is the rule in this case?

A: If one forgets to perform the major ablution for the state of major impurity [ghusl al-janabah] during the month of Ramadhan at night before morning call to prayer [adhan], his fast is void. As per precaution, the same rule applies to the belated accomplishment [qadha] of Ramadhan fasts. However, other fasts do not become void if one forgets to perform the major ablution for the state of major impurity [ghusl al-janabah] before morning call to prayer [adhan].

Masturbation While Fasting and In Other Instances

Q 794: About seven years ago I intentionally invalidated my fast for several days during the month of Ramadhan by masturbating. However, I do not know for sure how many days of fasting I violated in this way during the course of three Ramadhan. I do not think they were less than 25 to 30 days. What is my obligation and the atonement [kaffarah] that I should make? 

 A: Invalidating a day 's fast in the blessed month of Ramadhan by masturbating, which is prohibited by Islamic law, requires two atonements [kaffarah]: (1)fasting for sixty days; and (2)feeding sixty poor persons. As far as feeding sixty persons is concerned, you can give each of them one mudd (750 grams) of food for each day missed. Giving money is not a substitute unless it is given to a poor person to buy food on your behalf; thus, his acceptance to buy the food for himself is considered as atonement [kaffarah]. Determining the price of the food given as atonement [kaffarah] depends on the kind of food you choose to give, either in the shape of wheat, or rice, or any other kind of food. As for the number of fasts you invalidated by masturbating, you are allowed to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] and give atonement for the number of days that you are certain about. 

Q 795: A person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf], knowingly and intentionally, invalidates the fast by masturbating; does he have to offer the two-fold atonement [kaffarah]? What is the rule if he does it without knowing that masturbation invalidates the fast?

A: In both cases he must offer the two-fold atonement [kaffarah] if he masturbates intentionally. 

Q 796: I had an emission during the blessed month of Ramadhan for no reason other than excitement that I felt during a telephone conversation with a non-related [non-mahram] woman. If the phone conversation was not for the purpose of pleasure, was my fast invalid? And if it was, do I have to pay atonement [kaffarah] as well? 

A: If it was not a previous habit of yours to have an emission while conversing with a woman, and the phone conversation was not intended for pleasure and the emission was involuntary, then your fast is valid, and you are not liable to anything.

 Q 797: A person had the habit of masturbating for a number of years while fasting in the month of Ramadhan and at other times. What is the rule regarding his prayers and fasts?

 A: Masturbation is absolutely prohibited, and when it leads to an emission it causes one to become in the state of major impurity [junub]. If done during fasting, it amounts to breaking the fast by unlawful means. If one performs prayers and fasts in the state of major impurity [janabah], without performing major ablution [ghusl] or dry ablution [tayammum], his prayers and fasting are void and he must perform their belated accomplishment [qadha]. 

Q798: Is it permissible for a husband to masturbate using his wife's hand? Is there any difference whether it is done during intercourse or not? 

A: There is no problem with foreplay between a husband and wife, via touching her body with his own until he ejaculates. Similarly, it is not prohibited for the wife to handle the husband's organ until he ejaculates, as these actions do not constitute prohibited masturbation.

 Q 799: Is it allowed for a bachelor to masturbate if required by the doctor for a laboratory test of semen, and that is the only way to extract it?

 A: There is no problem if it is required for treatment.

 Q 800: Some medical centers require a man to masturbate for sperm tests to determine whether he can have children or not. Is this masturbation permissible?

 A: Masturbation is prohibited by Islamic law even if it is done to determine fertility, except if it is required to diagnose the illness that causes infertility.

 Q 801: Is it permissible to bring out the semen by stimulating the prostate gland by one's own finger through the anal passage so that semen is discharged without an orgasm and without causing bodily weakness?

 A: The above-mentioned method is not permissible, as it is one of the instances of unlawful masturbation.

 Q 802: Is it permissible for a husband who is away from his wife to imagine her in his fantasy for sexual excitement? 

A: If sexual fantasies are meant to lead to ejaculation, or if one knows that it would eventually lead to it, then it is not permissible.

 Q 803: Someone at the beginning of legal maturity fasts during the month of Ramadhan, and masturbates while fasting, continuing in this way for some days without knowing that fasting requires a state of purity [taharah], that is not being in the state of major impurity [janabah]. Is it sufficient for him to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the fasts of those days, or some other rule applies to him? 

A: In the light of the question, he has to perform both, the belated accomplishment [qadha] as well as pay the atonement [kaffarah].

Q 804: If someone who is fasting looks at a sexually arousing scene during the month of Ramadhan, does it void his fast? 

A: If he looks with the purpose of having an orgasm, or if he knows that it will cause him to become in the state of major impurity [junub], and it had been his habit before, and still he views it intentionally and becomes [junub], then the rule that applies to him is the one that applies to someone who makes himself [junub] intentionally.

Rules of Breaking The Fast [Iftar] 

Q 805: Is it permissible to follow the Ahl aI-Sunnah in their timings for breaking the fast while one is in public or attending official gatherings and the like? What is one's duty if s/he thinks that doing so cannot be counted as one of the instances of precautionary dissemination [taqiyyah] and no compulsion is involved? 

A: It is not permissible for a person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf] to follow others in determining the time for breaking the fast. He may not break the fast voluntarily, and without lawful evidence, without ascertaining to his satisfaction that nightfall has occurred and the day has ended.

 Q 806: When I was fasting, my mother forced me to eat or drink. Did it invalidate my fast? 

A: Eating and drinking invalidates fast, even if it is done at the request or insistence of someone. 

Q 807: If something is forced into the mouth of someone fasting, or his head is forcefully submerged in water, does it invalidate the fast? What if one is coerced to break their fast, and he/she does it to avoid danger, for instance if he/she is told: If you do not eat, we will hurt you or your property. Is his/her fast valid? 

A: Forcing food into someone's month without his consent does not invalidate their fast and neither does submerging his/her head in water. However, if one breaks the fast themselves when forced or threatened by someone, the fasting becomes void.

 Q 808: While going on a trip someone who is fasting breaks his fast before crossing the limit of the border [tarakhkhus] with the notion that he is a traveler, without knowing that he may break his fast before noon only when he has gone beyond the limit of the border [tarakhkhus]. What is the rule concerning his fast? Does he have to perform its belated accomplishment [qadha] or is he liable to something else as well? 

A: The rule that applies to him is same as that for one who intentionally breaks the fast.

 Q 809: While suffering from a cold, some mucus gathered in my mouth and I swallowed it instead of spitting it out. Was my fast valid? Also, once, while staying for some days with one of my relatives during the blessed month of Ramadhan as I had a cold, and moreover felt shy to perform major ablution for the state of major impurity [ghusl al-janabah], so I did dry ablution [tayammum] instead, which I did not perform until some time before noon. This happened for several days. Were my fasts for those days valid? If not, do I have to pay the atonement [kaffarah] as well? 

A: Swallowing the mucus does not make one liable to anything, though as precaution one should perform belated accomplishment [qadha] of that fast if it is done after the mucus enters the mouth. As for not performing the major ablution for the state of major impurity [ghusl al-janabah] before dawn, if the dry ablution [tayammum] was done because of some legal excuse or done at the last moment due to shortness of time, then your fasting is valid. Otherwise your fasts for those days are void. 

Q 810: I work in an iron ore mine and the nature of my work requires me to enter the mine daily. While working with mining equipment dust enters my mouth. This is my daily routine throughout the year. What is my duty? Is my fast valid? 

A: Swallowing dust invalidates the fast. Therefore, one must guard against it. However, the mere entering of dust into the mouth and the nose without its being swallowed does not invalidate the fast.

 Q 811: Is a person who is fasting allowed to take an injection that contains vitamins and nutritive substances? 

A: If the injection containing the nutritive substances is intravenous, it is better to avoid it according to precaution, and to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] for the fast of the day it was taken.

 Q 812: While fasting during the holy month of Ramadhan a person did something that he thought invalidates his fast. However, after Ramadhan he realized that it was not so. What is the ruling concerning his fast? 

A: If he did not intend to violate the fast and did not do anything that actually voids the fast, then his fast is valid. 

Atonement [kaffarah] of The Fast and Its Amount 

Q 813: Is it sufficient to give a needy person the money to buy the one mudd (750 grams) of food instead of giving him the food itself? 

A: If you are sure that the needy person receiving the money will buy the food on your behalf and then take it as atonement [kaffarah], there is no problem in it.

 Q814: A person was appointed to take charge of feeding a group of needy persons. Can he take his wages for the work and cooking he does from the atonement [kaffarah] money he was entrusted with?

 A: He can demand the wages for his work and for the cooking. But he cannot take it from the atonement [kaffarah].

 Q 815: A woman could not fast due to pregnancy and the approaching delivery. She knew that after delivery she must perform belated accomplishment [qadha] for the days she did not fast before the next Ramadhan, If she did not fast after delivery, intentionally or otherwise, for several years, does she have to pay only the atonement [kaffarah] for that year or for all the years she delayed the fasting? 

A: The redemption money [fidyah] for delaying the belated accomplishment [qadha], even if it is for several years, is required only once. It is one mudd (750 grams) of food for each day, and is required only if the belated accomplishment [qadha] was delayed until another Ramadhan without any legitimate excuse. If one had an excuse for the delay preventing one from performing valid fasts, no redemption money [fidyah] is required. 

Q 816: A women could not fast due to illness. Also, she could not perform their belated accomplishment [qadha] until the next Ramadhan. Does she or her husband have to pay atonement [kaffarah]?

 A: In this case, the redemption money [fidyah], one mudd (750 grams) of food for each day, has to be given by her, not her husband. 

Q 817: A person was liable to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] of ten Ramadhan fasting days and he started them on 20th of Sha'ban. Can he break the fast intentionally before or after the noon? And, if he does, what is the atonement [kaffarah] for breaking it before or after the noon? 

A: It is not permissible for him to break his fast intentionally in this case. However, if he does break his fast intentionally before noon, he does not have to pay any atonement [kaffarah]. But if he breaks it intentionally in the afternoon, his atonement [kaffarah] is to feed ten needy persons. If he cannot afford to do so, he shall fast for three days. 

Q 818: A woman was pregnant during two consecutive Ramadhans and could not fast during those two years. Now. When she is able to fast what is her duty. Does she only have to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] for the two months, or does she have to carry out the twofold atonement [kaffarah] as well? What is the rule concerning her delaying the fasting? 

A: If she did not fast during the month of Ramadhan due to a legitimate reason, then she is only liable for their belated accomplishment [qadha]. However, if she did not fast because she feared it might harm the fetus or the baby, she has to give the redemption money [fiidyah], one mudd (750 grams) of food for each day, in addition to making their belated accomplishment [qadha] and if she delays the belated accomplishment [qadha] beyond the Ramadhan until the following Ramadhan without a legitimate excuse, then she shall also give its redemption money [fiidyah], one mudd (750 grams) of food for each day. 

Q 819: If someone has to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] and give atonement [kaffarah] for the days that he did not fast, must he observe their sequence? 

A: It is not obligatory. 

Making Up Missed Fasts

Q 820: Due to a journey made for an important religious mission, I became liable to belated accomplishment [qadha] of 18 days of Ramadhan. What is my duty? Is it obligatory for me to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] of the missed fasting?

A: You must perform belated accomplishment [qadha] of the Ramadan fasting days missed due to traveling.

Q 821: A person was hired to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] fasts of the month of Ramadhan for somebody else, and he breaks the fast in the afternoon. Does he have to pay the atonement [kaffarah]?

A: No atonement [kaffarah] is required.

 Q 822: Those who could not fast due to their journey for religious missions during the month of Ramadhan, and now want to make up after years of delay, do they have to pay any atonement [kaffarah]?

A: If delaying the belated accomplishment [qadha] of fasting of Ramadhan until the next Ramadhan was due to a continuing legitimate excuse, then they should perform only the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the missed fasting days and no redemption money [fiidyah] is required, although precaution lies in giving redemption money [fiidyah] as well. But, if the delay was for no legitimate reason and a result of negligence, then they are liable both to their belated accomplishment [qadha] as well as redemption money [fiidyah]. 

Q 823: A person did not perform prayers or fast for about 10 years due to ignorance. Now he has repented, turning to God, the Exalted, and decided to compensate for his past. But he cannot perform belated accomplishment [qadha] of all the days he did not fast, nor has the means to pay for the atonement [kaffarah]. Is it enough for him to ask for forgiveness alone?

 A: He is not relieved from the duty of performing belated accomplishment [qadha] of the missed fasting by any means. As to the atonement [kaffarah] for each day that he did not fast, if he is not able to fast for 60 days and also unable to feed 60 needy persons, he must give as much as he can to the poor. 

Q 824: What is the duty of a person who did not know that performing belated accomplishment [qadha] of missed fasting is required before the next Ramadhan, and so did not do it? 

A: Ignorance of the obligation to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] before next Ramadhan does not relieve one of the redemption money [fiidyah] for the delay.

 Q 825: A person did not fast for 120 days. What must he do? Does he have to fast for 60 days for every day missed, and does he have to pay atonement [kaffarah]? 

A: He has to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] for the Ramadhan fasting days he missed If he broke the fast intentionally and not for some legitimate reason, then he has, in addition to performing their belated accomplishment [qadha], to pay the atonement [kaffarah], which is fasting for sixty days or feeding 60 needy persons, or giving one mudd (750 grams) of food to each of the sixty. 

Q 826: I fasted almost for one month with the intention of carrying out the belated accomplishment [qadha] of any fast that I might have missed, or to be counted as a means of nearness to God. Does this month of fasting count as the belated accomplishment [qadha] for the fasting that I missed? 

A: If you fasted with the intention of carrying out whatever counts as your present duty, an obligatory or a recommended fast, it would be counted as the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the fasts missed if you were liable to any.

 Q 827: If a person, not knowing the number of fasts missed, performs fasts with the intention of performing a recommended fast with the belief that he is not liable to any belated accomplishment [qadha], does this fasting count as belated accomplishment [qadha] for missed fasting days if he is liable to belated accomplishment [qadha] of some fasts? 

A: The fasting days kept with the intention of recommended fasting do not count as belated accomplishment [qadha] for fasts whose belated accomplishment [qadha] one is liable to perform. 

Q 828: If due to ignorance of the rules a person intentionally breaks his fast due to hunger, does he only have to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] of the fast or should he pay the atonement [kaffarah] as well? 

A: If his ignorance was due to negligence, then as per precaution he should pay atonement [kaffarah] in addition to performing its belated accomplishment [qadha] as well. 

Q 829: A person at the outset of the age of legal maturity [taklif] was not able to fast due to physical weakness and inability. Is it enough for him to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the fast, or is he required to offer the atonement [kaffarah] as well? 

A: If fasting was not harmful for him when he did not fast intentionally, then he has to offer belated accomplishment [qadha] as well as the atonement [kaffarah].

 Q 830: A person does not know the exact number of days he has failed to fast in the past nor the prayers he missed. What should he do? And what rule applies if he does not know whether be missed the fast intentionally or due to a legitimate excuse? 

A: It is permissible for him to confine to performing the belated accomplishment [qadha] of the prayers and fasting he is sure of having missed. When there is doubt as to whether the fast was broken intentionally or not, atonement [kaffarah] is not required.

 Q 831: A person fasting during Ramadhan did not wake up one day to eat the meal taken before the dawn. Therefore, he could not continue fasting until sunset. During the day there happened an event that caused him to break his fast. Does he have to give the single or the twofold atonement [kaffarah]? 

A: If he kept the fast until the time he broke it when it was harmful for him to continue, due to severe hunger and thirst or some other reason, he has only to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] of the fast and no atonement [kaffarah] is required. 

Q 832: If one is not sure whether one has done belated accomplishment [qadha] of all the missed fasting, what is one's duty? 

A: If one is not sure of having missed some fasting days in the past then it is obligatory to ascertain that one has done belated accomplishment [qadha] for those days.

 Q 833: A person did not fast on reaching puberty. He would fast for 11 days then break the fast one day at noon and would not fast for the remaining 18 days. Also, he did not know that atonement [kaffarah] was obligatory for the days not fasted. What is the ruling concerning him? 

A: If he intentionally and voluntarily failed to fast in the month of Ramadhan, he has to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] and pay atonement [kaffarah] as well, regardless of whether he knew he had to give a atonement [kaffarah] or not. 

Q 834: The physician told a patient that fasting is harmful for his health. However, after a few years, he realized that fasting was not harmful for him and the physician was wrong in excusing him from fasting. Does he have to pay atonement [kaffarah] in addition to performing belated accomplishment [qadha]? 

A: If had he had refrained from fasting due to fear for his health on the basis of an experienced and reliable physician's diagnosis or some other reasonable basis, he has to only perform belated accomplishment [qadha] of the missed fasting.

Miscellaneous Rules of Fasting

Q 835:If a woman's menstrual cycle start while she is fasting on a specific day that she had vowed to perform on, what should she do?

A: Her fast is void because of the menstrual cycle, and she has to perform its belated accomplishment [qadha] after she is clean again. 

Q 836: A person who lives in the port of Dayyir kept fast from the first day of Ramadhan until the twenty-seventh. On the morning of the twenty-eighth day he traveled to Dubai. Arriving there on the twenty-ninth, he noticed that they had declared that day as the first of Shawwal and Eid al-Fitr there. Now that he has returned to his hometown, does he have to make up for the fast he missed? If he does belated accomplishment [qadha] of only one day then the month of Ramadhan for him will be only twenty-eight days, and if he makes up for two days, then on the 29th day he was present in a place where Eid was declared. What is the ruling for such a person?

A: If the twenty-ninth day of Ramadhan was declared Eid in accordance with valid legal [shar`i] criteria, then he does not have to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] for that day. But it indicates that he missed fasting at the month's beginning, which he has to make up, the number he is sure of having missed. 

Q 837: A person finished his fast in his hometown after sunset. Then on traveling to another city, he found that the sun there had not set yet. What will be the rule regarding his fasting? Can he eat and drink in the new place before sunset? 

A: His fast is valid He can eat and drink in the new place before sunset. 

Q 838: A martyr had made a will to a friend asking him to perform the belated accomplishment [qadha] of some fasts on his behalf, for the sake of precaution. However, the martyr's heirs do not give significance to such issues and it is not possible to put the matter before them. Moreover, fasting would involve hardship for that friend. Is there any other solution? 

A: If the martyr had made a will to his friend asking him to fast on the martyr's behalf himself, the martyr's heirs do not have any obligation in this regard. If it is too difficult for the friend to fast, he also does not have any obligation. 

Q 839: I am obsessed by doubts - or to put it precisely I am [kathir al-waswasah] - especially in religious matters, and particularly in ritual matters. For instance, during the last Ramadhan, I had a doubt whether I had swallowed some thick dust that had entered my mouth and whether I had spitted out water that I had drawn into my mouth? Is my fast valid? 

A: In light of your question, your fast is valid. Such doubts as these have no significance. 

Q 840: Is the tradition of the Cloak [Kisa'], which is narrated by Fatimah al-Zahraa (a.s), a reliable tradition? Is it permissible to attribute it to her during fasting? 

A: If the tradition is cited with reference to books where it has been reported, there is no problem in it. 

Q 841: I have heard from scholars and other normal people that if a person performing a recommended fast is invited to eat something, he can accept the invitation, and eating and drinking does not invalidate his fast nor deprive him of its reward. Please express your view on the matter. 

A: Accepting a believer's invitation is preferred by Islamic law over a recommended fast, and although eating and drinking breaks the fast, but it does not deprive one of the rewards for fasting. 

Q 842: There are certain supplications for the month of Ramadhan each of which is specified for a day in a sequence, starting with the supplication for the first day, followed by the one for the second day and so on. What is the rule on reciting them if there is a doubt as to their authenticity? 

A: There is no problem in reciting them with the intent of hope of desirability [raja ' al-matlubiyyah].

Q 843: A person intending to fast, does not rise to eat the dawn meal [sahur] before dawn. Therefore he could not fast the following day. Does the guilt for not fasting fall on him or on someone who did not wake him up? Also, if one fasts without eating the dawn meal [sahur], is his fast valid?

A: Breaking the fast due to inability to fast, even if due to not eating the dawn meal [sahur], is not a sin. In any case others who did not wake you up are not liable to anything. Also, fasting without eating the dawn meal [sahur] is valid.

 Q 844: If a person is in confinement in a masjid for three or more days [i `tikaf] in Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, what rule applies to his fasting on the third day? 

A: If he is a traveler and has intended a ten-day stay in Mecca or has vowed to fast while traveling, then after fasting for two days he must complete the confinement in the masjid [i `tikaf] by fasting on the third day. However, if he didn't make the intent to reside [iqamah] in that place nor did he vow to fast while traveling, it is not valid for him to fast while traveling. And as the fast is invalid the confinement in the masjid [i `tikaf] will also become invalid.

Sighting The New Moon

Q 845: As you know, one of the following three conditions occurs at the beginning or end of the each month: The crescent sets before the sunset; or The crescent sets along with sunset; or The crescent sets after the sunset. Please clear the following matters: First, which one of the three above-mentioned conditions would be considered the beginning of the month according to Islamic law? Second, if we take into consideration that these three conditions are accounted for in the farthest places of the world using accurate calculations, is it possible to benefit from these computations to figure out the beginning of the month in advance, or it is necessary to observe it with the naked eye?

A: The basis of determining the beginning of the month is the crescent that sets after sunset, which can be observed before sunset in the customary way. 

Q 846: If the crescent marking the beginning of Shawwal is not observed in a city by the local people, and if the radio or television announces the beginning of Shawwal, should the local people act upon the radio announcement, or should they ascertain by investigating whether Shawwal has commenced?

 A: If the radio or television announcement makes them feel sure that Shawwal has commenced, or if there is a decree by the Supreme Religious Authority [wali faqih] announcing the beginning of Shawwal, then there is no need for investigating further. 

Q 847: If it is difficult to ascertain the beginning of the month of Ramadhan, or Eid al-Fitr, because of the inability to observe the crescent at the beginning of the month due to clouds or for some other reason, and if the count of the month of Sha`ban or the month of Ramadhan did not add up to 30 days, is it permissible for us in Japan to go by the horizon in Iran or should we rely on the regular calendar? What is the rule? 

A: If the crescent has not been ascertained by being sighted in the city and in the regions at the same longitude, or on the evidence of two just witnesses, or on the basis of a decree by a religious authority announcing the end of Ramadhan, it is obligatory to observe precaution by ascertaining the beginning of Shawwal. The sighting of the crescent in Iran, which is to the west of Japan, cannot be a basis regarding the beginning of Shawwal for one residing in Japan. 

Q 848: Is the sameness of horizon considered to be a condition in regards to observing the crescent?

A: It is enough for the crescent to be sighted in the areas on the same horizon, or nearby, or in the areas to the east. 

Q 849: What is meant by sameness of horizon? 

A: When certain areas are located on the same longitude they are said to share the same horizon. 

Q850: If the twenty-ninth day of the month was the day of Eid al-Fitr in Tehran and Khorasan, is it permissible for the residents of areas like Bushehr to break their fast too, though the horizon of Tehran and Khorasan differs from the horizon of Bushehr?

A: If the difference between the longitude of two cities is such that the new moon cannot be seen in one of them when sighted in the other, its sighting in the city located to the west of the other is not sufficient for the residents of the city to the east, where the sun sets earlier than in the city to the west, and is sufficient when the case is the reverse. 

Q 851: If the Islamic scholars of a city differ regarding the end of Ramadhan, and one considers all of them to be just and precise in their investigations, what is the duty of the city's inhabitants?

A: If the difference between the two testimonies is one of contradiction, in the sense that one of them claims the crescent to have been sighted and the other claims that it has not been sighted, the duty of the inhabitants is to decide the matter through other means. However, if the first group testifies to the sighting of the new moon, but the second group does not claim to have seen it, the inhabitants have to accept the view of tile first group and break their fasts. Also, the people have to follow if a religious authority [hakim al-shar`i] issues a decree announcing the end of Ramadhan.

 Q 852: If a person who sees the new moon knows that the city's religious authority is not able to see the crescent for some reason, is it his duty to inform the religious authority that he has observed the crescent? 

A: It is not his duty to do so, unless his not doing so can cause some trouble [fitnah]. 

Q 853: As you know, most Islamic scholars have written in their book of practical laws [Risalahs] that the beginning of Shawwal can be proved only through five methods. However, announcement of the end of Ramadhan by a religious authority is not among those methods. Such being the case, how can most of the people break their fasts when the beginning of Shawwal has been ascertained by the major marje`s? What is the duty of a person who is not convinced of the new moon's sighting by such means? 

A: Unless a religious authority issues a decree announcing the sighting of the new moon, the mere ascertaining of it by him is not sufficient for others to follow him, unless they are convinced thereby of the end of Ramadhan.

Q 854: If the Guardian of the Muslims' affairs [Wali al-Amr Muslimeen] issues a decree announcing the next day as Eid al-Fitr and the media report that the crescent has been cited in certain cities, does it determine the Eid for all the cities or only those cities and for others on the same longitudes? 

A: If the decree issued by the religious authority includes all the cities, it is valid for all of them.

 Q 855: If on the evening of Eid al-Fitr, the moon appears as a very fine crescent, does it mean that the next day is the first of Shawwal and that the Eid was declared by mistake? Is one required to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] for the last day of Ramadhan? 

A: The thinness or thickness of the moon and also its position in the sky are not lawful evidence in deciding the first or second of a month. But if it brings conviction to the person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf] he is obliged to act in accordance with his knowledge in this case. 

Q 856: Can the night of the full moon, which is the fourteenth night of the month, be taken as a reliable basis for calculating the first day of the month so as to determine whether the Day of Doubt is the thirtieth of Ramadhan, for example, so that whoever did not fast on that day may have evidence concerning the necessity to perform belated accomplishment [qadha] for the thirtieth day of Ramadhan and whoever fasted that day, considering Ramadhan to continue, may know that he is free of obligation? 

A: That which has been mentioned does not constitute lawful evidence for anything mentioned. However, if it brings knowledge to the person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf] his obligation is to act in accordance with his knowledge. 

Q 857: Is watching out for the new moon a collective obligation [ wajib al-kifa'i] or something to be done as an obligatory precaution? 

A: It is not a legal duty in itself. 

Q 858: Are the beginning and end of Ramadhan determined through observing the crescent or by the means of the calendar, even if Sha`ban was not thirty days? 

A: Deciding the beginning of any lunar month is only possible through one of the following methods: sighting the new moon by the person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf] himself; the testimony of two just witnesses to that effect; numerous reports that bring conviction that the moon has been sighted; or completion of 30 days since the month's beginning; the decree of a religious authority.

 Q 859: If a government announces the end of Ramadhan, is it necessary for it to be an Islamic one in order to ascertain that the moon has really been sighted, or can one accept it even from a tyrannical government? 

A: The criterion in this regard is the person's assurance that the new moon has been sighted in the area where its sighting is sufficient in relation to the person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf].