Bismillāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā Rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh. Ammā ba‘d:
Fasting the month of Ramaḍān is one of the distinguishing features of Islam. Interestingly, it is perhaps the most practised of all the key acts of worship of Islam – even those who don't pray their five prayers fast Ramaḍān. At the same time though, many are the matters which people tend to be ignorant of or lax about when it comes to fasting and Ramaḍān. Among these are:
1. Laxity regarding the entry of the Fajr and Maghrib times
Here's what the fuqahā’ say:
• One may not break one's fast until one is certain that Maghrib time has entered (even if the mu’adhin calls the adhān before the time enters).
• One may not consume anything, however small it may be, once Fajr time has entered (not when the mu’adhin calls the adhān, for the mu’adhin will only call the adhān once the time has already entered).
• One should wait an extra minute or two at ifṭār time to ensure that one doesn't end up breaking one's fast before the entry of Maghrib time.
• One should leave a safety gap of about 10-15 minutes between the end of one's suḥūr and Fajr time, as indicated to by a ḥadīth.
Now here's some common mistakes many people tend to fall into:
• Break their fast immediately upon hearing the uncle in the room murmur, “I think it's Maghrib now.”
• Gulp down that cup of water during the dying seconds of suḥūr time, saying, “Look, there's still ten seconds left to Fajr!” (Who knows, that clock could be a minute or two behind…)
• Still be having their suḥūr while the Fajr adhān is being called, thinking that the time to stop is when the adhān is finished.
• Still be having their suḥūr after Fajr time has entered, saying, “Bro, as long as the adhān hasn't been called yet, we can still eat!”
• Break their fast upon hearing the mu’adhin call the adhān while they are fairly sure that the mu’adhin is a couple of minutes too early.
In all of these scenarios (and their like), one's fast is considered invalid and in requirement of a makeup (qaḍā’) after Ramaḍān (explained in more detail further down).
2. Laxity regarding the niyyah (Intention)
The intention to fast the next day of Ramaḍān must be made in one's heart every night of the month, the night being from Maghrib until Fajr. What is meant by intention is a firm resolve in one's heart that one will be fasting the following day of Ramaḍān. Some people don't bother about this; they'll just wake up after Fajr the next day and fast. This is incorrect – the one who leaves out the intention to fast, even if forgetfully or out of ignorance, must make up for that day after Ramaḍān (explained in more detail further down).
3. Having water reach one's body cavity as a result of maḍmaḍah (rinsing one's mouth) & istinshāq (rinsing one's nose)
When rinsing one's mouth and nose during wuḍū’ and ghusl, the fasting person must ensure that he does so lightly. But what's the ruling if water ends up entering his body cavity?
• If he is doing wudū’ or ghusl and rinses his mouth or nose but isn't excessive in doing so and then water just happens to slip through, his fast is still valid.
• If he is excessive in doing so (e.g. by using an abundance of water, by gargling) and then water slips through to his body cavity, his fast is rendered invalid.
• If the fasting person rinses his mouth or nose for a purpose other than wuḍū’ or ghusl (e.g. rinsing after brushing one's teeth) and water ends up slipping through to his body cavity, his fast is rendered invalid, regardless of whether he was excessive or not, as his action of rinsing was not one that was commanded by the sharī‘ah.
4. Issues of qaḍā’ and imsāk
To quote the author of “Safīnat al-Najāh” (“The Ship of Salvation”):
“There are six cases in which, in addition to having to make up for that day (qaḍā’), one must also continue to abstain from all the invalidators of fasting for the rest of that particular day:
1. Upon the one who deliberately breaks his fast in Ramaḍān
2. Upon the one who leaves out making his niyyah the night before an obligatory fast
3. Upon the one who continues eating suḥūr thinking that it is still night time when it was not so
4. Upon the one who has ifṭār thinking that the sun has set but it had not
5. Upon the one who finds out that the '30th of Sha‘bān' was in fact the first day of Ramaḍān
6. Upon the one who had water enter his body cavity as a result of excess in rinsing the mouth (maḍmaḍah) and nose (istinshāq) [during wuḍū’ or ghusl].”
To put things simpler, let's give an example. Say a person continues eating suḥūr thinking that Fajr time has not yet entered when it in fact has. Only later does he find out that he ate beyond Fajr time. The question arises: is his fast valid? The answer is no, due to his shortcoming in not ensuring that he stopped eating before Fajr. (The ḥadīth about the validity of the fast of the one who eats forgetfully doesn't apply here – there's a difference between an honest lapse of the mind and someone not making the due effort expected of him.)
But then another question arises: now that his fast is invalid, does he now have a licence to eat for the rest of the day? The answer is no – he must still abstain from all that which invalidates the fast for the rest of the day, and then in addition to that make up for that day after Ramaḍān as qaḍā’. The same applies with the other five cases.
5. Swallowing phlegm
Swallowing one's phlegm and mucus invalidates one's fast.[1] However, if one's phlegm does not rise above the middle of one's throat (i.e. where the letter ḥā’ (ح) is articulated from in the throat), one is entitled to swallow it without having one's fast broken.
6. Breaking one's fast on questionable/ḥarām food
Why refrain from ḥalāl food during the day when fasting and then break the fast with questionable – or even worse, ḥarām – food? That just spoils a whole day's worth of toil. It's like building a house but then demolishing a city.
7. Overeating at ifṭār
Fasting is supposed to make you suppress your desires and thus make you spiritually stronger. But by overeating at ifṭār, you're now doing the exact opposite by indulging in your desires once more, trying to make up for what you lost in the daytime. Subḥān Allāh! Why give your stomach what it craves for and fulfil its desires – nay, fill it with more than it can hold – when breaking the fast? Doesn't this defeat the purpose of fasting?
The way you deal with food is an indication of the way you deal with the dunyā. After all, food is quite literally our connection with the dunyā, as when we eat, we're putting actual stuff of this world – plants and animals – into our bodies. So by reducing your food intake, you'll grow to become less attached to this temporary, worthless dunyā, and your heart will grow stronger for its journey to the Hereafter. So only eat as much as you need. A traveller should only carry as much supplies as he needs, otherwise he'll collapse from the heaviness of it all and never reach the destination he set out for in the first place. We should only take what we need from this dunyā in order to successfully travel to our real destination – Allāh and His good pleasure. And this is something fasting should train us for.
8. Leaving out certain sunan
There are certain sunan (plural of sunnah) that many tend to be heedless of when fasting. Among them are:
• Having dates for suḥūr, not just for ifṭār. The Prophet ﷺ said, “How good are dates as saḥūr for the believer!" (Narrated by Abū Dāwūd)
• Leaving a gap between the end of one's suḥūr and the entry of Fajr time, a gap equivalent to the time it takes to recite 50 āyāt (about 15 minutes). You could then use these 15 minutes to seek Allah's forgiveness (istighfār) – Allah describes the pious as "those who pray for forgiveness before dawn" (Qur’ān 3:17, 51:18).
• Hurrying Maghrib ṣalāh. Maghrib ṣalāh should be prayed as soon as possible – delaying it past the beginning of its time is makrūh (ḥarām according to some). Fasting doesn't change this. If we do the maths:
- Ifṭār is an act of worship in and of itself. Delaying ifṭār = delaying an act of worship
- Maghrib is an act of worship too. Delaying Maghrib = delaying an act of worship
- The dinner you have with/after ifṭār isn't an act of worship in and of itself. Delaying dinner = no problem
- ∴ the sunnah is to break one's fast at sunset with dates and water, then pray immediately. One may then have one's meal afterwards.
• Responding to the mu’adhin at ifṭār time. Most are just busy with filling their bellies that they forget this noble sunnah.
Carelessness with the sunnah is dangerous. The Prophet ﷺ is our guide to Allah – if we leave his example, how are we ever going to reach our goal?
In conclusion, we ask Allah to make this Ramaḍān the most blessed and beneficial Ramaḍān for us and the ummah, and to make this Ramaḍān the Ramaḍān of relief for this pain-stricken nation. We ask Him likewise to grant us, our parents, our relatives, our loved ones, our friends, and all our believing brothers and sisters divine success in carrying out this obligation as it ought to be carried out.
References:
• نيل الرجا بشرح سفينة النجا، للعلامة السيد أحمد بن عمر الشاطري
• التقريرات السديدة في المسائل المفيدة، للسيد حسن بن أحمدبن محمد الكاف
• الصلاة على المذاهب الأربعة، لخالد سيد علي
• إحياء علوم الدين، للإمام حجة الإسلام أبي حامد محمد بن محمد بن محمد الغزالي
• مراقي الفلاح شرح متن نور الإيضاح، للشيخ حسن بن عمار بن علي الشرنبلالي
Note: all fiqhī (legal) matters in this article are presented in accordance to the Shafi‘ī school.
[1] In the Ḥanafī school, this does not break the fast. Nevertheless, Ḥanafī scholars mention that one should take the way of precaution and avoid the difference of opinion on this issue.
