The fasting day: the pre-dawn meal (suhur), the three obligations, and breaking the fast (iftar)
What a fast requires from dawn to sunset, and the recommended way to eat the pre-dawn meal (suhur), break the fast (iftar), and use the day well.
During the whole time from dawn (fajr) until the sun goes down, three things must stop:
The three things you give up while fasting
- No eating.
- No drinking.
- No husband-and-wife closeness (for grown-ups who are married).
There are lovely things to do around your fast, too:
Good habits for suhur and iftar
- Eat suhoor (the meal before dawn).It's sunnah and full of blessing: even just a bite of food or a sip of water counts, so try to eat something even if you're not very hungry.
- Eat suhoor late, close to dawn, but not so late that dawn actually arrives while you're still eating.
- Make your intention to fast the night before.
- Break your fast (iftar) the moment you're sure the sun has set; don't wait.
- Break your fast with dates if you have them, or water if you don't.
- Say the iftar dua before you eat.
- Stay away from lying, backbiting, and rude talk all day; it can spoil the reward of your fast.
- Do extra prayer and good deeds, especially in the last ten nights of Ramadan; this is a great time for i'tikaf too.
اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ صُمۡتُ وَبِكَ اٰمَنۡتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَعَلٰى رِزْقِكَ أَفْطَرْتُ وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ نَوَيْتُ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ
Allāhumma laka ṣumtu wa bika āmantu wa ʿalayka tawakkaltu wa ʿalā rizqika afṭartu wa bi-ṣawmi ghadin min shahri Ramaḍāna nawaytu fa-ghfir lī mā qaddamtu wa mā akhkhart
O Allah, I have fasted for You, I believe in You, I rely on You, and I break my fast with what You have provided. I intend to fast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan; forgive me what I have done before and what I will do after.
There are three obligations of fasting, binding from the appearance of fajr (dawn, the beginning of the twilight) until sunset (when the sun is completely hidden):
Refraining from eating, from drinking, and from sexual intercourse, each from fajr until sunset, are the three obligations that constitute the fast itself.
1| Act | Detail |
|---|---|
| Eating suhoor | Sunnah, and richly rewarded in the hadiths; recommended even if not hungry; a single bite or sip suffices. |
| Delaying suhoor | Best eaten just before dawn; delaying it to the point that dawn arrives during the meal is disliked. |
| Making the intention the night before | See the section on the intention and its timing. |
| Breaking the fast promptly | As soon as sunset is confirmed; delaying past sunset until the stars appear is disliked, though on a cloudy day one should not rush before being sure. |
| Breaking the fast with dates | If none are available, break the fast with water. |
| Reciting the iftar dua before eating | See below. |
| Avoiding sin while fasting | Backbiting, lying, swearing and similar behaviour can waste the reward of the fast. |
| Increasing worship, especially in the last ten nights | Night prayer and i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) are particularly recommended then. |
اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ صُمۡتُ وَبِكَ اٰمَنۡتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَعَلٰى رِزْقِكَ أَفْطَرْتُ وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ نَوَيْتُ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ
Allāhumma laka ṣumtu wa bika āmantu wa ʿalayka tawakkaltu wa ʿalā rizqika afṭartu wa bi-ṣawmi ghadin min shahri Ramaḍāna nawaytu fa-ghfir lī mā qaddamtu wa mā akhkhart
O Allah, I have fasted for You, I believe in You, I rely on You, and I break my fast with what You have provided. I intend to fast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan; forgive me what I have done before and what I will do after.
The three farāʾiḍ of ṣawm are abstention from eating, from drinking, and from sexual intercourse, each running from the appearance of fajr, the onset of true dawn, until sunset, i.e. until the disc of the sun is fully concealed.
1| Act | Detail |
|---|---|
| Suḥūr | Sunnah; richly rewarded per the ḥadīth; recommended even without hunger, a mouthful or a sip being sufficient to gain the blessing. |
| Delaying suḥūr (taʾkhīr) | Best taken close to fajr; delaying to the point that fajr intervenes during the meal is makrūh. |
| Forming the niyyah at night | Treated in full under the intention and its timing. |
| Taʿjīl al-fiṭr (hastening the breaking of the fast) | Immediately on confirming sunset; delaying past sunset until the stars appear is makrūh, though on an overcast day one should not break early on mere presumption. |
| Breaking the fast with dates (tamr) | Water substitutes when dates are unavailable. |
| The duʿāʾ at ifṭār | Recited before eating; see below. |
| Guarding the tongue and limbs | Ghībah, lying, and coarse speech during the fast can void its reward even though the fast remains legally valid. |
| Increased ʿibādah in the last ten nights | Qiyām al-layl and iʿtikāf are especially stressed for this period. |
اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ صُمۡتُ وَبِكَ اٰمَنۡتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَعَلٰى رِزْقِكَ أَفْطَرْتُ وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ نَوَيْتُ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ
Allāhumma laka ṣumtu wa bika āmantu wa ʿalayka tawakkaltu wa ʿalā rizqika afṭartu wa bi-ṣawmi ghadin min shahri Ramaḍāna nawaytu fa-ghfir lī mā qaddamtu wa mā akhkhart
O Allah, I have fasted for You, I believe in You, I rely on You, and I break my fast with what You have provided. I intend to fast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan; forgive me what I have done before and what I will do after.
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 364 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Rulings of Fasting Introduction
7. Obligations of Fasting:
There are three main obligations for fasting:
1. Refraining from eating from Fajr (dawn [Dawn refers to the beginning of the twilight.]) until sunset.
2. Refraining from drinking from Fajr (dawn) until sunset [Sunset refers to when the sun is completely hidden.].
3. Refraining from intimate relations (sexual intercourse) from Fajr (dawn) until sunset.
8. Recommended and Preferred Acts in Fasting:
The following are the recommended and preferred acts during fasting:
1. Eating suhoor (pre-dawn meal) [Sahri eating is a Sunnah and a source of blessings. There is great reward for it in the Hadiths. Even if you are not hungry, eating a bite or drinking a sip of water is recommended.].
2. Delaying the suhoor [The time for Sahri is the last or sixth part of the night, that is, just before dawn. Therefore, it is better to eat Sahri a little before dawn, but delaying it to the point where it becomes dawn is disliked.].
3. Making the intention for the fast the night before.
4. Breaking the fast [However, on cloudy days, it is not recommended to rush.] as soon as the sunset [It is disliked to delay if it is after sunset until the stars appear.] is confirmed [The sign of sunset being complete is when the sky starts to darken in the east.] (i.e., immediately after sunset).
5. Breaking the fast with dates [If dates are not available, break your fast with water.].
6. Saying this supplication before breaking the fast:
"اَللّٰهُمَّ لَكَ صُمۡتُ وَبِكَ اٰمَنۡتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَعَلٰى رِزْقِكَ أَفْطَرْتُ وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ نَوَيْتُ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ"
(O Allah, I have fasted for You, I believe in You, I rely on You, and I break my fast with Your sustenance. I have intended to fast tomorrow in the month of Ramadan, forgive my past and future sins.)
7. Refraining from all sinful behavior such as backbiting, lying, swearing, and other inappropriate actions while fasting [Otherwise, the reward of fasting may be wasted.].
8. Increasing acts of worship, especially during the last ten days of Ramadan, by staying up at night (praying) and performing I'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque).
Terms on this page
Related
- The intention for fasting, and when to make it How to make the intention (niyyah) for a fast, the words used, and by when it must be made for each kind of fast.
- Disliked and permissible acts while fasting Things that are better avoided while fasting even though they do not break the fast, and things that are fully permitted and safe to do.
- What breaks a fast: making it up (qada), expiation (kaffarah), or nothing at all Which acts break a fast and only need making up, which need making up plus an expiation, and which do not break the fast at all.
- Vows to fast, and seclusion in the mosque (i'tikaf) The rules for a vow (nazar) that involves fasting, and the rulings of seclusion in the mosque (i'tikaf), the spiritual retreat closely tied to Ramadan.