Fasting (Sawm)

Sawm means abstaining from food, drink and marital relations from true dawn (Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib), with the intention of worship.

• Fasting Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam and obligatory on every adult Muslim who is sane, resident and able.
• Children are encouraged gradually but are not obliged until puberty.
• The fast begins at true dawn, not at sunrise — stop eating when Fajr enters.
• Break the fast promptly at sunset; delaying it deliberately is against the sunnah.

• For obligatory fasts the intention must be made during the night, before Fajr; it is made in the heart and need not be spoken.
• A single intention at the start of Ramadan is accepted by some scholars, but renewing it nightly is safest.
• For voluntary fasts the intention may be formed later in the day, provided nothing invalidating has occurred.
• Suhoor is a sunnah with blessing in it — even a sip of water counts.

These require making up the day (qada). Deliberate marital relations in Ramadan additionally require kaffarah.

• Eating or drinking deliberately, including smoking and vaping.
• Deliberate vomiting; unintentional vomiting does not break the fast.
• Marital relations during fasting hours.
• Nutritional injections or IV feeding; most scholars permit non-nutritional injections, insulin and vaccines.
• Menstruation or post-natal bleeding, even if it begins moments before sunset.
• Eating or drinking by genuine forgetfulness does NOT break the fast — continue fasting when you remember.

• Rinsing the mouth and nose in wudu, without exaggeration; using a miswak or unflavoured toothpaste carefully.
• Bathing, swimming, applying perfume, kohl, eye or ear drops (with differences of opinion on some drops).
• Blood tests and small blood draws; scholars differ on donating a large volume of blood or cupping.
• Unintentional swallowing of saliva, dust or the taste of food while cooking without swallowing it.
• Waking up in a state of janabah — perform ghusl and the fast remains valid.

• The sick and travellers may postpone and make up the same number of days later (Quran 2:184–185).
• Menstruating and post-natal women do not fast and make up those days after Ramadan.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women who fear harm may postpone; rulings on qada versus fidya differ by madhhab — ask a scholar.
• The permanently ill and the very elderly who cannot fast feed one needy person for each missed day (fidya).
• Missed days should ideally be made up before the next Ramadan.

• Mondays and Thursdays — the days deeds are presented to Allah.
• The white days: the 13th, 14th and 15th of each Hijri month.
• ʿĀshūrāʾ (10th Muharram), preferably with the 9th, and ʿArafah for non-pilgrims.
• Six days of Shawwal after Ramadan — with Ramadan, like fasting the whole year (Muslim).
• Fasting is not permitted on the two Eid days.