Interactive Guide based on Hanafi School
Year Prescribed
Linguistic Meaning
Daily Duration
In the linguistic sense, Sawm means absolute abstention (Imsak) from anything, whether it is food, movement, or speech. The sources note that the term is used metaphorically to describe a horse that stops feeding (sama al-faras) or a person who vows to remain silent.
Legally, fasting is defined as restraining the soul from desires (food, drink, and sexual intercourse) from the beginning of the day until its end, performed by a specific person with a contract of intention (Niyyah) for the sake of worship. Its primary spiritual purpose is to subdue the soul (qahr al-nafs) which is prone to evil.
The duration of the fast is the Legal Day (al-Yawm al-Shar'i). This period begins strictly at True Dawn (Tulu' al-Fajr)—which is the spreading of light on the eastern horizon—and concludes at Sunset (al-Ghurub), defined as the complete disappearance of the sun's disk.
Fasting in Ramadan was made a divine obligation (Fard) in the 2nd year of Hijrah, specifically on the 10th of Sha'ban. This occurred approximately one and a half years after the Prophet's ﷺ migration and shortly after the change of the Qibla from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah.
There are essentially nine types of fasts:
These conditions make the fast a duty upon the person.
The fast is not legally recognized unless these are met.
While not obligatory, a child's fast is valid if they are discerning (approx. age 7+). They are encouraged to fast for training purposes.
Hanafi fiqh recognizes two primary pillars of fasting: Intention (Niyyah) and Abstention (Imsak) from dawn to sunset.
| Pillar | Description |
|---|---|
| Niyyah | Forming the intention each night before dawn, or the general intention for Ramadan on its first night according to some narrations. |
| Imsak | Abstaining from food, drink, intercourse, and anything that nullifies fasting from true dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib). |
Invalidators are actions that break the fast after it has started. The legal outcome differs based on intent.
A Kaffarah is a heavy penalty for intentionally breaking a fast in Ramadan without a valid excuse. The sequence is strictly followed:
The expiation is to fast sixty consecutive days in the year without any interruption. One must choose a time where one can fast these sixty days without the days of Eid or the three days after Eid al-Adha (al-Ayyam al-Tashriq) interrupting the fasts because of the prohibition of fasting on these days. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah] If one does not fast them consecutively, then one must restart the 60 day period each time the continuity of the fasts is broken. [Tahtawi, Hashiyya al-Tahtawi]
The only exceptions to this rule are if one is menstruating or in a state of lochia (post-natal bleeding). A menstruating woman must continue to fast after she becomes pure, and she cannot delay the completion of the expiation. If she does delay fasting after becoming pure, then she must restart the 60 days of fasting. [Tahtawi, Hashiyya al-Tahtawi] The same ruling applies to a woman in the state of lochia.
If one is genuinely unable to perform the sixty consecutive fasts based on reasonable surety, then one must either:
It is important to note that one does not have a choice between fasting sixty days and feeding sixty poor people. Rather, one is obliged to fast sixty days, unless one is genuinely unable to perform all of these fasts based on reasonable surety.
Reasonable surety is known by: 1) manifest signs, 2) a relevant past experience, or 3) the notification of an upright, Muslim doctor/expert.
One expiation suffices for all previous violations performed, even if they occurred in separate Ramadans. However, if one performed a future violation after the performance of the expiation, then a new expiation is owed.
[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ala al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-Alaiyya; Shurunbulali Imdad al-Fattah]
I'tikaf is seclusion in the mosque (or a woman's prayer area at home) with the intention of worship. It has Wajib (vowed), Sunnah Mu'akkadah (last ten nights), and Nafl forms.