A BOOKLET OF FASTING

(SAWM)
‘O ye who believe,
enter into peace wholeheartedly’
(Qur’an 2:208)
 CONTENTS
Section
Preface
1 Fasting
- Definition and Religious Basis
- Benefits of Fasting
- Conditions of a Valid Fast
- What Invalidates the Fast
2 Those who should observe the fast
3 Tarawih prayers
4 Laylatul Qadr
5 Zakat al Fitr
(Charity paid at the end of Ramadan)

6 Eid al Fitr
(The Festival of Accomplishment of the Fast)

7 Fasting outside Ramadan

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 1 FASTING
Definition
Fasting means complete abstinence from food, drink and
sexual intercourse during daytime, from the bread of the
dawn till sunset, during the month of Ramadan which is
the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, provided that
observing the fast in this way does not cause any harm
to the health of the fasting person.

Religious Basis of Fasting

Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Qur’an:
‘Ramadan is the month in which the Qur’an was
revealed as a guide to mankind, also clear (signs) for
guidance and distinction (between truth and falsehood).
So every one of you who is present during the month
should spend it in fasting.’
(2:183)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
‘Islam was founded on five bases. These are: shahadah
(declaration of faith), salah (prayer), fasting during the
month of Ramadan, paying of zakah and hajj
(pilgrimage).

The verse and the saying of the Prophet (pbuh) quoted

above show the basis on which the obligation of fasting
in Ramadan is founded.
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Determination of the start of Ramadan
The start of Ramadan is marked by seeing the new
moon of the month or by completion of the days of the
previous month (Shaban) to 30 days, in case it becomes
impossible to sight the new moon due to weather
conditions.

The new moon must be seen by two trustworthy

Muslims.

The fast starts before the break of dawn. Muslims are

allowed to eat and drink at any time throughout the night
and stop at dawn.

A special meal before dawn, termed sahour, is

recommended to be taken so as to provide the fasting
person with energy during the day.

Benefits of Fasting
Fasting has many benefits, some of which are felt here
in this life; others will be enjoyed in the Hereafter.

(A) Benefits of Fasting in this life

(i) Health advantages achieved through fasting:
Fasting in Ramadan relieves the digestive
system during the daytime. Diseases
associated with overstuffing the stomach with
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 food will be cured due to reduction of the
amount of food eaten in Ramadan.

Reduction in food results in reduction of

calories taken. This consequently leads to
weight loss for those who usually eat too
much, putting on more weight through the year.
Hence fasting in Ramadan offers people a
good opportunity to diet.

(ii) Benefits for the individual personality:

The patience experienced in restraining bodily
demands trains the fasting person to encounter
the hardships of life. It reinforces willpower
and courage. It also trains the individual to be
wise, truthful, self-restrained and to be able to
control their desires and actions. All this helps
to build a sound and strong personality.

Moreover the Prophet (peace be upon him)

taught his companions the morale and the
attitude that a fasting person should observe.
He said:
‘If one does not abandon falsehood in words
and deeds, Allah has no need for his
abandoning his food and drink.’
(Hadith: Bukhari and Muslim)
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 ‘There are many who fast during the day and
pray all night, but they gain nothing but hunger
and suffering due to sleeplessness.’
(Hadith: Darimi)
Also he asked them not to spoil the reward for
their fasting by misconduct.

(iii) Spiritual and moral benefits:

Abstaining from food and bodily desires during
fasting inculcates love in human hearts
towards their Creator. That is because
Muslims fast in response to His Divine order to
do so. Following this order by ceasing to eat
and drink whether in private or in public is
intended to make them more aware of Allah’s
nearness. This should help to bring all their
actions under control, so that they will not go
against any of Allah’s commands. Moreover,
restraining oneself from satisfying one’s natural
lawful desires should result in abstinence from
all acts declared by Allah to be unlawful.

(iv) Social benefits of fasting

The Islamic calendar follows the lunar year,
which is about 11 days shorter than the solar
year, and the month of Ramadan (and all other
Islamic festivals) fall about 11 days earlier
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every year. This means that Ramadan
gradually moves from season to season, falling
sometimes in the hottest or longest days and
at other times in the colder or shorter days.
Thus Muslims in all parts of the world learn to
fast in all weathers and no nation is obliged to
fast always in its hottest season of the year. In
that sense it makes every Muslim experience
the reality of hunger and thirst whether in
winter or summer, and thereby increases their
sympathy and care for each other and
particularly for those in need.

Ramadan is in fact a major element in bringing

all Muslims together. At the end of the month
of Shaban, the month before Ramadan, all
Muslims observe the skies to sight the
appearance of the new moon of Ramadan.
After that, Muslims start to fast, feeling that
they are participating in a collective act of
worship carried out simultaneously by all
Muslims throughout the world. The same
feeling occurs when breaking fast (iftar) and on
the Eid festival at the end of Ramadan. This
cultivates in the individual the feeling of being
part of a greater society, so that they seek to
form wider connections with their fellow
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 Muslims, to share their happiness and offer
assistance if a calamity befalls any part of their
wider community.

The special charity paid to the needy at the end

of Ramadan by every Muslim reflects their care
towards society.

In addition, fasting reflects the equality between

all people before the law. When Ramadan
comes, all Muslims have to fast, there is no
difference between rich and poor, rulers or
subjects.

(B) Benefits of fasting in the Hereafter

(i) Fasting is a protection against Hell fire
The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Hell fire is
surrounded with desires’.

Restraining the body from its essential desires

like food and drink, during the days of
Ramadan gives it valuable practice in
restraining all of its desires and lusts.

This makes it easy for Muslims to refrain from

committing what is declared by Allah to be
unlawful. In this regard, fasting is considered
as a shield against Hell fire.
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 (ii) Fasting paves the way to Paradise
The Prophet (pbuh) said:
‘Allah, the Exalated and Majestic, says: ‘Every
act of the son of Adam is for him, except
fasting. It is exclusively meant for Me and I
alone will reward it.’
It was reported that one of the Prophet’s
(pbuh) Companions asked: ‘O Messenger of
Allah, show me an act that may cause me to
enter Paradise.’ He answered, ‘Keep fasting,
there is nothing to match it.’

Conditions for a valid fast

There are two conditions for a fast to be acceptable:
1. Making the intention of fasting before dawn,
specifying the intended fast. That means, for the
fast of Ramadan to be valid one has to make one’s
intention clearly the evening before the fist day of
the month that one intends to fast the month of
Ramadan as a fulfilment of the obligation of fasting.
This intention must be renewed if fasting is
interrupted for any reason during the month.

2. Abstinence from all things that break the fast, like

eating, drinking, etc.

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What invalidates the fast?
The fast may be rendered invalid by any of the following:
1. Anything that enters the abdomen, whether through
the mouth, nostrils, ears or by any other means.
This includes food, drinks, smoke snuff and
injections.
2. Vomiting, if it was caused deliberately and some of
re-entered the stomach. But if the vomiting was
involuntary and impossible to control, the fast
remains valid, provided it is continued afterwards.
3. Sexual intercourse, if it happens deliberately, without
coercion or forgetfulness, when the individuals
know that it invalidates the fast.
4. Emission of semen by any other means such as
masturbation, prolonged contemplation and the like.

2 THOSE WHO SHOULD OBSERVE FASTING

Fasting in Ramadan is an obligation upon every Muslim,

both male and female, providing that they meet the
following qualifications:

- Having attained puberty

- Having a sound mind
- Being physically able to bear the fast.
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In the case of a female:
- She is not undergoing menstruation or post-natal
bleeding.

Those who observe the fast but miss out some days are
divided into two groups as follows:

1. People exempted but required to make up for the

missed days:
1.1 The sick: A Muslim is not required to fast if he/she
is ill and this illness may become worse by reason
of fasting, or fasting might delay their recovery, or if
it is necessary for them to take medicine during the
daytime.
1.2 Travellers: People who are travelling are exempted
from fasting during their journey, provided that the
distance of the journey is not less than 50 miles,
but it is best for them to observe the fast.
1.3 Pregnant or breast-feeding women if they fear that
fasting might affect their own or their children’s
health.
1.4 Women in the normal period of menstruation or
having post-natal bleeding.

2. People exempted but not required to make up for

missed days:

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2.1 The elderly who cannot stand the hardships of
fasting
2.2 Chronically ill people who are not likely to recover.

Reparation for a spoiled fast

There are two ways for atonement depending on the
nature of the action that spoiled the fast:
(i) Making up the missed days of the fast, day for
day.
This is required when the fast is nullified by
committing one of the acations that invalidates
the fast, by accident or under coercion or due
to ignorance, i.e. not knowing that the action
would invalidate the fast.
(ii) Expiation (Kafarah):
A fast to make up the missed day is required
when the rules for fasting are deliberately
broken, and the individual is fully aware that the
action will make the fast invalid and is not
under any coercion to do it. Any day, when the
fast of Ramadan is deliberately violated must
be made up either by fasting two months
consecutively or by feeding 60 poor people for
each day violated in Ramadan. On top of this,
fasting for a day in place of the violated one is
required.

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Breaking the Fast
Immediately after sunset a fasting person breaks his
fast, preferably with dates and water before taking his
meal. It is recommended to say the following
supplication at breaking the fast.

‘O Allah, for your sake I have fasted and I am breaking

my fast with food You have provided.’

3 TARAWIH PRAYER

Tarawih is a congregational prayer performed during

Ramadan after Isha prayer. It consists of twenty rak’ahs
followed by witr. It is recommended to do tarawih in the
mosque. However, one may also perform it individually
at home, or where convenient.

4 LAYLAT AL-QADR

Laylat al-Qadr occurs in one of the last ten days of

Ramadan. Ibn Omar, the Companion of the Prophet
(pbuh) reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Look out

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for Laylat al-Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.’ So
it was recommended to spend these nights in worship
and recitation of the Qur’an. The Qur’an states that this
night is ‘better than a thousand months’, meaning that
acts of devotion done on this night are rated higher than
those done through a time span of a thousand months,
because it was the night of revelation of the Holy Qur’an.

5 ZAKAT AL-FITR
(Charity Paid at the End of Ramadan)

Payment of Zakat al-Fitr, on behalf of oneself and one’s

dependants, is incumbent upon every Muslim, provided
that he has in his possession the required amount of
zakah in excess of his needs and the needs of his
dependents..

The amount of Zakat al-Fitr has been determined by

Muslim scholars as 2.5 litres of the staple food at the
place where the payer lives (i.e. wheat, corn, rice, etc.)

It should be paid at the end of Ramadan and should not

be delayed by any means beyond the day of Eid, so that
nobody spends the Eid unsatisfied or unhappy.

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 6 EID AL-FITR
(The Festival of Accomplishment of The Fast)

Eid al-Fitr is the festival marking the end of the Ramadan

fast. On the night of 29th Ramadan, people watch the
sky for the new moon of the following month. As soon
as it is sighted, an announcement is made: ‘The moon
has been seen at such-and-such a place’ and people at
once start their final preparations to celebrate Eid al-Fitr
on the following day.

Eid Prayer is a confirmed Sunnah (highly recommended

by the Prophet). It is a congregational prayer consisting
of two rak’ahs and a sermon given by the Imam after the
prayer, where the Imam sits down half-way through the
sermon and then rises again.

The time for the Eid prayer begins at early morning,

shortly after sunrise. The time available for the prayer
actually starts at about 20 minutes after sunrise and
continues until noon, when midday prayer (dhuhr)
becomes due.

On the morning of Eid al-Fitr people bath or shower, put

on their new or best clothes, eat breakfast and go out
early to the Eid praying ground. It may be a large
mosque or a wide, open space, since many thousands of
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people are likely to be there. Women are encouraged to
attend. Everywhere people exchange greetings such as
Eid Mubarak (May the Eid be blessed).

The religiously important aspects of Eid al-Fitr are the

giving of the zakat al-fitr to the poor (which is essential
for all who have the means) and the attendance at the Eid
prayer.

Other aspects of the festival are merely customary, and

may vary slightly from one country to another. For
example, in some Muslim countries, a visit is paid to the
graveyards during the Eid festival, while in some other
Muslim countries this practice is unknown. What is
common to all Muslim communities and the reason why
the Eid al-Fitr is such a popular festival, is the joyful
feeling of having completed the fast.

7 FASTING OUTSIDE RAMADAN

There are two types of fasting other than Ramadan fast,
either obligatory or voluntary as follows:

(A) Obligatory Fasting

There is no obligatory fast in Islam other than Ramadan.

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However it becomes incumbent on a person to observe
the fast under the following conditions:

(1) Expiation of an unfulfilled oath

Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
‘Allah will not take you to task for that which is
unintentional in your oaths, but he will take you to task
for the oaths which ye swear in earnest. The expiation
thereof is the feeding of ten of the needy with the
average of that with which ye feed your own folk, or
clothing of them, or the liberation of a slave, and for him
who findeth not the (wherewithal to do so), then a three-
day fast. This is the expiation of your oaths when you
have sworn, so keep your oaths. Thus Allah expoundeth
unto you His revelations in order that ye may give
thanks.’

(2) Making up for missed days

When a person who is required to observe fasting
deliberately invalidates his fast during the days of
Ramadan, it will become incumbent on him to expiate for
each of the invalidated days by fasting two months
continuously or by feeding sixty persons.

(3) Nadhr (Vow)

Fasting on some days may become incumbent on a
person if he solemnly vowed to fast. If anyone has
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made a vow to do a specific act of worship such as
prayer, fasting or the like it becomes obligatory on them
to fulfil their vow.

A vow usually takes the form of saying, for example, ‘It

will become obligatory for me to fast three days if so
and so happens.’ If the mentioned think happens, then
the fulfilment of the vow becomes obligatory.

(4) Fasting in relation to Hajj and Umrah

(i) If a Muslim performs Umra during the months
of Hajj, i.e. the months of Sawal, Dhu al-Qaida
and the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah, they will
be required to offer an animal to be slaughtered
and distribute its meat among the poor of
Makkah. If they cannot afford that, they may
then fast for three days during the Hajj days
and seven days when they return home.
(ii) Expiation for breaching the requirements of
Ihram of Hajj or Umrah.

(B) Voluntary Fasting

It is recommended to fast some special days such as:

1. The first six days of Shawal immediately afater the

day of Eid. The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘If anyone

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 observes the fast of Ramadan with a six day fast in
the month of Shawal, it will be as if he had fasted
perpetually.’ (Narrated by Muslim).
2. Ninth and 10th days of Muharram (the first month
of the Islamic calendar);
3. Thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth days of each
lunar month.
4. The Mondays and Thursdays of each week;
5. The first nine days of Dhu al-Hijjah, especially the
day of Arafah, for those who are not performing the
Hajj;
6. The Prophet (pbuh) said:
‘The one who observes three days fast every month
and that of Ramadan every year is perpetually
fasting. I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of
Arafah may atone for the sins of the past and the
coming years, and I seek from Allah that fasting on
the day of Ashura (10th Muharram) may atone for
the sins of the past years.’

NB.
Every effort has been made to ensure that this text is accurate
and contains the basic information required to carry out the fast.
Further details may be obtained directly from your imam.
(c) IQRA Trust 2008

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Published by IQRA Trust

Tel: 0208 203 7487

info@iqratrust.org
www.iqratrust.org