Fasting (sawm) and Ramadan
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ١٨٣Yaa ayyuhal lazeena aamanoo kutiba 'alaikumus Siyaamu kamaa kutiba 'alal lazeena min qablikum la'allakum tattaqoonO you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183
Fasting Ramadan is obligatory on every adult Muslim who is sane, resident and able. Fasting means refraining, with intention, from food, drink and marital relations from true dawn until sunset.
Suhur and iftar
- Eating suhur is Sunnah and blessed (Bukhari 1923); it is best eaten late, shortly before dawn.
- Breaking the fast right at sunset without delay is Sunnah (Bukhari 1957), ideally with dates or water.
- See today’s suhur and iftar times for your area on the Sehri & Iftar page.
After breaking his fast the Prophet ﷺ would say:
ذَهَبَ الظَّمَأُ، وَابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوقُ، وَثَبَتَ الْأَجْرُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللّٰهُDhahabaz-zama’u wabtallatil-‘uruqu wa thabatal-ajru in sha’ AllahThe thirst is gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is certain, if Allah wills.
(Abu Dawud 2357)
What breaks the fast
- Deliberately eating, drinking or marital relations (the last requires both a make-up day and expiation).
- Deliberately vomiting a mouthful.
- Smoking, or food or medicine reaching the stomach through the mouth or nose.
- The start of menstruation or post-natal bleeding.
Eating by mistake does not break the fast — stop as soon as you remember (Bukhari 1933). Injections, eye drops, involuntary vomiting, miswak and wet dreams do not break it.
Who may leave the fast
The sick and travellers — they make it up later; pregnant and nursing mothers fearing harm — they make it up later; the very old who will never be able to fast — they pay fidyah for each day.
Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and hoping for reward, his past sins are forgiven. (Bukhari 38, Muslim 760) Seek Laylat al-Qadr, better than a thousand months, in the odd nights of the last ten.