Happy Ramadan!

Fasting Ramadan

Fasting Ramadan is obligatory for every Muslim who is morally responsible.

Conditions for a Valid Fast
. If one makes the intention (one must make the intention to fast for each day one fasts. If the intended fast is obligatory, then the intention must be specific; as to the fast being for Ramadan, a vow, an expiation, or whatever, and be made in the night prior to down);
. And if nothing that breaks the fast occurs, including: leaving Islam; a woman’s being in her period of menstruation or postnatal bleeding; deliberate vomiting; sexual intercourse; masturbation (whether by unlawful means, like one’s own hand, or by lawful means, such as the hand of one’s wife); a substance in an open passageway reaching a body cavity such as the stomach, inner ear, rectum, or bladder (substance excluding odors, and open excluding anything else, such as absorption through pores. The deliberate introduction of anything besides air or saliva into the body cavity breaks the fast, though if the person fasting does so absentmindedly or under compulsion, it does not break it).

The Following are not required to Fast:
1. A non-Muslim;
2. A child;
3. Someone insane;
4. Or someone whom fasting exhausts because if advanced years or having an illness from which he is unlikely to recover.

None of the above-mentioned is obliged to fast or to make up missed fast-days, though someone who misses a fast because of (4) above must give 0.51 liters of food for each fast-day he misses.

Making Up Fast Days Missed for An Excuse
The following are not required to fast, though they are obliged to make up fast-days missed (making up, according to our school, meaning that one fasts a single day for each obligatory fast-day missed):

1. Those who are ill (the illness that permits not fasting being that which fasting would worsen, delay recovery from, or cause one considerable harm with; the same dispensation applying to someone who needs to take medicine during the day that breaks the fast and that he cannot delay taking until night);
2. Those who are traveling (provided that the journey is at least 81 km/50 mi. one way, and that ones leaves town before dawn);
3. A person who has left Islam;
4. Or a woman who is in her menses or period of postnatal bleeding.

If the ill person or traveler takes it upon himself or herself to fast, it is valid, though a fast by someone who has left Islam, or a woman in menstruation or period of postnatal bleeding is not valid.
A woman whose period ends during the day of Ramadan is recommended to fast the rest of the day and is obliged to make up the fast (and the fast-days prior to it missed during her period or postnatal bleeding).

Sunnas of Fasting
The sunnas of fasting include delaying the predawn meal (to just before dawn, as long as on does not apprehend dawn’s arrival while still eating, though when one does not know when dawn is, it is not the sunna to thus delay it); hastening breaking the fast (when one is certain the sun has set. One should break it with an odd number of dates, though if one has none, water is best); and avoiding ugly words (slander, lying and foul language, which are always unlawful, but even worse when fasting).

Days Unlawful to Fast
It is unlawful and invalid to fast on the two ‘Eids or the three days following ‘Eid al Adha. It is also unlawful and invalid to fast on a day of uncertainty (as to whether it is the first day of Ramadan, meaning that on 30 Sha’ban, someone who does not have the necessary qualifications of a witness mentions having seen the new moon of Ramadan), unless it falls on a day one habitually fasts, or is connected with the previous days (Fasting on a day of uncertainty is not valid as a day of Ramadan, though it can validly fulfill a vow or makeup fast. Voluntary fasting on such a day is only valid when one would have fasted any way because it falls on a day one habitually fasts, or when one has been fasting each day since before mid-Sha’ban. If neither of these is the case, then it is unlawful and invalid for one to fast on it).

Vitiating the Fast by Sexual Intercourse
Whoever deliberately vitiates a fast-day by sexual intercourse must make up the fast, and expiate for it as one does for injurious comparison (zihar). The expiation consists of freeing a sound Muslim bondsman, or if not possible, then fasting the days of two consecutive months. If this is not possible, then the expiation is to feed sixty unfortunates (0.51 liters of food to each unfortunate). If one is unable to do this, the expiation remains as an unperformed obligation upon the person concerned. The woman made love to is not obliged to expiate it.

If someone dies with unperformed fast-days, which he could have fasted but did not, then each fast-day is paid for by the responsible family member with 0.51 liters of food, or he can fast for him in place of paying for each day. As for someone who dies after two Ramadans elapse upon his missed fast-days, each fast is paid for with 1.02 liters (double the above) of food. Or the family member can both fast a day and pay 0.51 liters for each day (i.e. the family member may fast in the deceased’s stead for the initial nonperformance of the fast-day, though he cannot fast in place of paying the 0.51 liters of food for each year that making up a fast-day was delayed before the deceased’s death, because this is the legal expiation for delaying the fast).

Valid Excuses from Fasting
It is permissible to omit fasting a day or more of Ramadan (and make it up later) if a person is ill, is traveling (provided that the journey is at least 81 km/50 mi. one way, and that the person leaves town before dawn), or is a woman who is pregnant or breast-feeding a baby and apprehends harm to herself (or her child), though if she omits it because of fear of harm for the child (alone, not for herself), then in addition to making up each day, she must give 0.51 liters of food in charity for each day missed, as an expiation.

Spiritual Retreat (I’tikaf)
Spiritual retreat in the mosque (I’tikaf) is a sunna (at any time), and is only valid by staying (for more than the least amount of time that can be considered repose, i.e. a moment) in a mosque with the intention of spiritual retreat. If one vows to make spiritual retreat for a consecutive period, the consecutiveness of such a period is nullified by lovemaking, though not by leaving (for something necessary such as eating even when it is possible to do so in the mosque), drinking (provided it is not possible to do so in the mosque) or to use the lavatory, or because of the onset of menstruation, or an illness with which remaining in the mosque presents a hardship.

Source: Imam Nawawi's manual of Islam.