Intimacy in Ramadan, the rules for married couples.
Intimacy between husband and wife is allowed on Ramadan nights, from sunset until dawn. During the fast it is not. Here are the rules, plainly and modestly, Hanafi first.
| When | Ruling |
|---|---|
| From sunset until true dawn | Allowed. Intimacy between husband and wife is halal on Ramadan nights (Quran 2:187). |
| During the fast, from dawn to sunset | Intercourse breaks the fast. Each spouse who took part willingly owes a make-up day and kaffarah. |
| Kissing or hugging during the fast | Does not break the fast. Disliked for someone not sure of their self-control. Ejaculation from it breaks the fast: make up only. |
| In janabah when dawn comes | The fast is valid. Do ghusl in time to pray Fajr. |
| During itikaf | Not allowed, by day or by night (Quran 2:187). |
| During her period | Intercourse is not allowed, in Ramadan or outside it. She does not fast. |
| Both spouses not fasting for a valid excuse, such as travel | The rules of the fast do not apply to a day neither of you is fasting. |
The Hanafi rulings. Where the other madhhabs differ, the guide below says so.
Guide
Marriage and the fast, what the Quran allows.
Yes, married couples may be intimate in Ramadan, at night. From sunset until true dawn, everything that is halal between husband and wife outside Ramadan is halal. From dawn until sunset, while fasting, intercourse is not allowed and breaks the fast. Allah says:
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ ٱلصِّيَامِ ٱلرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَآئِكُمْ ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌۭ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌۭ لَّهُنَّ ۗ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنكُمْ ۖ فَٱلْـَٰٔنَ بَٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَٱبْتَغُوا۟ مَا كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلْخَيْطُ ٱلْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْطِ ٱلْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ ٱلْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا۟ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُبَٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمْ عَٰكِفُونَ فِى ٱلْمَسَٰجِدِ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
Uhilla lakum laylatas Siyaamir rafasu ilaa nisaaa'ikum; hunna libaasullakum wa antum libaasullahunn; 'alimal laahu annakum kuntum takhtaanoona anfusakum fataaba 'alaikum wa 'afaa 'ankum fal'aana baashiroo hunna wabtaghoo maa katabal laahoo lakum; wa kuloo washraboo hattaa yatabaiyana lakumul khaitul abyadu minal khaitil aswadi minal fajri summa atimmus Siyaama ilal layl; wa laa tubaashiroo hunna wa antum 'aakifoona fil masaajid; tilka hudoodul laahi falaa taqraboohaa; kazaalika yubaiyinul laahu aayaatihee linnaasi la'allahum yattaqoon
"It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by] Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make clear His ordinances to the people that they may become righteous."
Quran 2:187. Translation: Sahih International.
The verse came as an ease. Early on, some Companions thought intimacy was forbidden for the whole night after sleeping, and some struggled with it. Allah allowed it for the whole night, called spouses "clothing" for each other, and set the limit at dawn.
Intercourse during the fast
Intercourse during a Ramadan fast breaks the fast, even without ejaculation, and needs both a make-up day and kaffarah: fasting 60 days in a row, or, only for someone who cannot fast them, feeding 60 poor people. Each spouse who took part willingly owes their own make-up and kaffarah. A spouse who was forced owes only the make-up day. If it happened out of real forgetfulness that one was fasting, the fast is not broken, as with eating by mistake.1
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The same, but in the school's main view only the husband owes the kaffarah. Forgetfulness does not break the fast.
- Hanbali
- The same for both spouses if willing. The kaffarah is due even if it happened out of forgetfulness or not knowing the ruling.
- Maliki
- Both owe the kaffarah if willing. A husband who forced his wife pays her kaffarah too. Forgetfulness breaks the fast, with a make-up day only.
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ saying he was ruined because he had been with his wife while fasting in Ramadan. The Prophet ﷺ asked if he could free a slave, then if he could fast two months in a row, then if he could feed sixty poor people. When he could do none of these, the Prophet ﷺ gave him dates to give in charity.2 Freeing a slave no longer applies, so today the kaffarah is the fasting, or the feeding for someone who cannot fast. Work it out on the fidya and kaffarah calculator.
Kissing and touching
Aishah said the Prophet ﷺ would kiss and embrace while fasting, and that he had the most control over his desire of any of you.3 So kissing and hugging do not break the fast. The Hanafi school says they are disliked for someone who is not sure they can stop there, and fine for someone who is.
If kissing or touching leads to ejaculation, the fast is broken: make up the day, with no kaffarah. Madhy (pre-seminal fluid) does not break the fast. Ejaculation from only looking or thinking does not break it either.1
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Ejaculation from touching breaks the fast, with a make-up day. Madhy does not.
- Hanbali
- Ejaculation breaks the fast, as does madhy from touching. Ejaculation from repeated looking also breaks it.
- Maliki
- Ejaculation on purpose, even from prolonged looking, needs a make-up day and kaffarah. Madhy needs a make-up day.
Ghusl before Fajr
You do not have to do ghusl before dawn for the fast to be valid. Aishah and Umm Salamah said the Prophet ﷺ would wake at dawn in janabah from intimacy, then do ghusl and fast.4 Eat suhoor if you need to, but do ghusl in time to pray Fajr before sunrise. See how to do ghusl.
Itikaf and the last ten nights
Someone in itikaf may not be intimate with their spouse by night or by day, as the end of the verse says. Intercourse ends the itikaf. See itikaf.
The dua before intimacy
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، اللَّهُمَّ جَنِّبْنَا الشَّيْطَانَ، وَجَنِّبِ الشَّيْطَانَ مَا رَزَقْتَنَا
Bismillāh, Allāhumma jannibnash-shayṭān, wa jannibish-shayṭāna mā razaqtanā
"In the name of Allah. O Allah, keep the devil away from us, and keep the devil away from what You provide us with (any child You grant)."
Sahih al-Bukhari 141; Sahih Muslim 1434, from Ibn Abbas.
A few gentle points
- Ramadan nights are also for taraweeh, Quran and rest. Balance the two, and be kind to each other.
- Neither spouse should pressure the other during the fasting day.
- If you broke a fast this way, repent, keep fasting the rest of the day, and make the day up with its kaffarah. Allah forgives the one who turns to Him.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Sawm, Bab ma yujib al-qada wa al-kaffarah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1936; Sahih Muslim 1111.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1927; Sahih Muslim 1106.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1926; Sahih Muslim 1109.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
Can Muslims have sex during Ramadan?
Yes, married couples may, at night: from sunset until true dawn. During the fasting day it is not allowed, and it breaks the fast.
Can you kiss your wife or husband while fasting?
Yes, if you are sure of your self-control. It does not break the fast. If it leads to ejaculation, the fast is broken and the day is made up.
Do I need to do ghusl before Fajr to fast?
No. Your fast is valid even if you are in janabah at dawn. Do ghusl in time to pray Fajr.
What is the kaffarah for intercourse in Ramadan?
Fasting 60 days in a row, plus making up the day itself. Only someone who cannot fast may instead feed 60 poor people.
Does the wife also owe kaffarah?
In the Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali schools, yes, if she took part willingly. In the main Shafi'i view only the husband owes it. A wife who was forced owes only the make-up day.