Fasting

According to the fatwas of the Grand Religious Authorities: Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Sistani, and Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi (may Allah prolong their blessings)

Fatāwā presented without citing a differing opinion or a specific reference are the common rulings shared by all of the three respected Marāji‘. In cases where the ruling of one Marjaʿ differs from that of the other two, it is indicated in a footnote under the same number, mentioning the Marjaʿ by name.

Conditions for the Obligation of Fasting (Who is fasting obligatory upon?)

1. Fasting becomes obligatory when a person meets these conditions:

• Puberty (religious maturity)
• Sanity / sound mind
• Ability (capacity)
• Not being unconscious
• Not being a traveller
• Not being in menstruation or postpartum bleeding (nifās)
• Fasting is not harmful
• Fasting does not cause undue hardship (severe difficulty)

2. If a child reaches puberty before the dawn adhān (Fajr), fasting becomes obligatory for them. But if they reach puberty after the dawn adhān, fasting on that day is not obligatory.

• Ayatollah Sistani: However, if the child had intended to observe a recommended (mustahabb) fast, it is recommended as a precaution to complete it.
• Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi: If the child reaches puberty after the dawn adhān and has not done anything that invalidates fasting, then as an obligatory precaution, they should fast that day and also make it up later (qadā’).

3. For girls who have just reached puberty, fasting becomes obligatory, and it is not permissible to abandon it merely due to difficulty, physical weakness, and the like—unless it causes harm or severe hardship.

Obstacles to the Validity of Fasting

(Which things cause a fast to be invalid or not valid?)

1. The fast of a woman who is in menstruation (hayd) or postpartum bleeding (nifās) is not valid—even if she begins menstruating or gives birth only moments before Maghrib. The same applies if she becomes pure only shortly after the break of dawn (Fajr).
2. If there is certainty of harm, or a reasonable fear of harm, fasting is not obligatory—and in some cases it is even prohibited. If someone fasts despite actual harm, the fast is not valid, unless they fasted with the intention of seeking closeness to Allah (niyyat al-qurbah) and it later becomes clear that there was in fact no harm.
3. If a person assumes there is no harm but later it becomes clear that fasting was harmful, the fast is invalid and they must perform its make-up (qadā’).
4. Determining harm is the responsibility of the person who is legally accountable (the mukallaf). A doctor’s opinion is considered valid only if it leads to confidence or a reasonable fear of harm.

Rulings on a Change of Status during the Day (While Fasting)

1. If a sick person recovers during the day, it is not obligatory for them to fast that same day.
2. If they recover before noon (ẓuhr) and have not committed anything that invalidates the fast, it is a recommended precaution (iḥtiyāṭ mustaḥabb) to make the intention (niyyah) and fast for the rest of the day; however, they must still make up (qaḍā’) that fast after Ramadan.

• Ayatollah Sistani: If a sick person recovers during the day in Ramadan before noon, and up to that time has not done anything that invalidates the fast, then—based on obligatory precaution (iḥtiyāṭ wājib)—they must make the intention to fast and complete that day’s fast. If they recover after noon, fasting that day is not obligatory, but they must make it up later.
• Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi: If a sick person recovers during the day in Ramadan before noon, and has not done anything that invalidates the fast, they must make the intention and fast that day, and as a precaution they should also make it up later. If they recover after noon, fasting that day is not obligatory, and they must only perform its make-up (qaḍā’).

Conditions for the Validity of a Recommended Fast When an Obligatory Fast Is Due

(Conflict between an Obligatory Fast (Especially a Make-Up Fast – Qaḍā’) and a Recommended Fast)

1. For a recommended (mustahabb) fast to be valid, a person must not have a make-up fast of Ramadan (qaḍā’) due, and—based on obligatory precaution (iḥtiyāṭ wājib)—they must also not have any other obligatory fast outstanding.

• Ayatollah Sistani: A person who has a make-up fast of Ramadan and any other obligatory fast due cannot observe a recommended fast.

1. If someone knows they owe a make-up fast but does not know that, in such a case, a recommended fast is not valid—then if they fast with a mustahabb intention, their fast is invalid and it does not count as a make-up fast either.
2. If someone does not know they owe a make-up fast and they fast with the intention of “whatever is my duty” (whether it turns out to be make-up or recommended), then if they do in fact owe a make-up fast, it will count as the make-up (qaḍā’) fast.

Forgetting an Outstanding Make-Up Fast (Qaḍā’)

1. If someone is obligated to perform a make-up fast (qaḍā’) of Ramadan, but forgets and begins a recommended (mustahabb) fast:

• If they remember before noon (ẓuhr), they may change their intention to qaḍā’.
• If they remember after noon, their intention cannot be changed to qaḍā’, and it will no longer be valid.

Ayatollah Sistani: If they remember after noon, their fast is invalid as a precaution (iḥtiyāṭ).

      Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi: If they remember after noon, their fast is invalid.

Obligatory Elements of Fasting

What must be observed in fasting consists of two things:

• Intention (niyyah)
• Abstaining from things that invalidate the fast (mubṭilāt)

Intention (niyyah)

1. Like all other acts of worship, fasting must be accompanied by intention (niyyah)—that is, refraining from the things that invalidate the fast for the sake of obeying Allah’s command. A firm inner decision and resolve are sufficient; it is not necessary to verbalize the intention.
2. On a day when it is uncertain whether it is the last day of Sha‘ban or the first day of Ramadan (known as Yawm al-Shakk, the “Day of Doubt”), fasting is not obligatory. If someone wishes to fast on that day, they cannot make the intention of a Ramadan fast. Rather, they may intend a recommended fast of the end of Sha‘ban, a make-up (qaḍā’) fast, or something similar.

If it later becomes clear that the day was indeed part of Ramadan, it will count as a Ramadan fast, and no make-up is required. If during the day they realize it is Ramadan, they must, from that moment, make the intention of a Ramadan fast.

Ayatollah Sistani: If a person intends: “If it is Ramadan, then this is a Ramadan fast; and if it is not Ramadan, then it is a make-up fast or similar,” the fast is valid. However, it is better to intend it specifically as a make-up fast or similar. If it later becomes clear that it was Ramadan, it will count as a Ramadan fast. Likewise, if one makes a general intention of fasting and later it becomes clear that it was Ramadan, that is also sufficient.