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.
The intention (niyyah) is you deciding in your heart, "I am fasting." You don't have to say it out loud, but it's good to say it. For the Ramadan fast, you can make your intention any time from after sunset the evening before, right up until a little before midday, but making it the night before is best.
نَوَيْتُ أَنْ أَصُومَ غَدًا لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى مِنْ صَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Nawaytu an aṣūma ghadan lillāhi taʿālā min ṣawmi Ramaḍān
I intend to fast tomorrow for the sake of Allah, in the fast of Ramadan.
نَوَيْتُ بِصَوْمِ غَدٍ
Nawaytu bi-ṣawmi ghad
I intend to fast tomorrow.
نَوَيْتُ أَنْ أَصَوْمَ لِهَذَا الْيَوْمِ
Nawaytu an aṣūma li-hādhā al-yawm
I intend to fast today.
The intention for fasting is an internal decision; it is not necessary to voice it, though doing so is recommended.
نَوَيْتُ أَنْ أَصُومَ غَدًا لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى مِنْ صَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Nawaytu an aṣūma ghadan lillāhi taʿālā min ṣawmi Ramaḍān
I intend to fast tomorrow for the sake of Allah, in the fast of Ramadan.
نَوَيْتُ بِصَوْمِ غَدٍ
Nawaytu bi-ṣawmi ghad
I intend to fast tomorrow.
نَوَيْتُ أَنْ أَصَوْمَ لِهَذَا الْيَوْمِ
Nawaytu an aṣūma li-hādhā al-yawm
I intend to fast today.
| Fast | Latest time for the intention |
|---|---|
| Ramadan (the daily fard fast) | Any time from sunset until shortly before midday (zawal) the same day; making it the night before is best. Naming the type is not required, though it is better to. |
| A vow (nazar) for a named day | Same window as Ramadan: sunset to shortly before midday. |
| A voluntary (nafl) fast | Same window as Ramadan: sunset to shortly before midday. |
| A missed Ramadan fast being made up (qada) | Night only, after sunset and before the appearance of fajr, and the fast must be specified as this particular qada. |
| A fast of expiation (kaffarah) | Night only, specified as the kaffarah fast. |
| An unspecified vow (nazar ghayr mu'ayyan) | Night only, specified as that vow. |
| A voluntary fast begun and then broken, now being made up | Night only, specified as that make-up fast. |
"Night" here (Nahar Shar'i's counterpart) runs from sunset to the appearance of fajr; the Shari'ah day itself runs from fajr to sunset.
A fresh intention is required for every single fast of Ramadan; making the intention once at the start of the month is not sufficient for the whole month.
The niyyah for ṣawm is a matter of the heart (qalb); vocalizing it (talaffuẓ) is mustaḥabb, not required.
نَوَيْتُ أَنْ أَصُومَ غَدًا لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى مِنْ صَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Nawaytu an aṣūma ghadan lillāhi taʿālā min ṣawmi Ramaḍān
I intend to fast tomorrow for the sake of Allah, in the fast of Ramadan.
نَوَيْتُ بِصَوْمِ غَدٍ
Nawaytu bi-ṣawmi ghad
I intend to fast tomorrow.
نَوَيْتُ أَنْ أَصَوْمَ لِهَذَا الْيَوْمِ
Nawaytu an aṣūma li-hādhā al-yawm
I intend to fast today.
| Fast | Window for the niyyah | Must the type be specified? |
|---|---|---|
| Ramaḍān | From sunset to shortly before zawāl (midday) the same day; at night is best. | No, though specifying is better (al-taʿyīn awlā). |
| A muʿayyan vow (naẓr) | Same as Ramaḍān. | No, though better to specify. |
| Nafl | Same as Ramaḍān. | No, though better to specify. |
| Qaḍāʾ of a missed Ramaḍān fast | At night only: after sunset, before ṭulūʿ al-fajr. | Yes: must be specified as this particular qaḍāʾ. |
| Kaffārah | At night only. | Yes. |
| Naẓr ghayr muʿayyan | At night only. | Yes. |
| Qaḍāʾ of a broken nafl fast | At night only. | Yes. |
The Sharʿī day (an-nahār ash-sharʿī) runs from the appearance of fajr to sunset; the niyyah for the ghayr muʿayyan group above can only be formed in the night that precedes it, never within that day itself.
A separate niyyah is wājib for each individual fast of Ramaḍān; a single niyyah formed at the outset of the month does not carry the obligation for the whole month.
Terms on this page
Related
- The fasting day: suhur, the three obligations, and iftar What a fast requires from dawn to sunset, and the recommended way to eat suhur, break the fast at iftar, and use the day well.
- The eight kinds of fast The eight categories of fasting in the Hanafi school, from the obligatory fasts of Ramadan down to the fasts it is disliked or forbidden to keep.
- What breaks a fast: qada, 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 i'tikaf The rules for a vow (nazar) that involves fasting, and the rulings of i'tikaf, the spiritual retreat closely tied to Ramadan.