Short answer
Yes, in the Hanafi school each day of Ramadan needs its own intention, but it is only a decision in the heart and can be made any time from sunset until before midday, as long as you have not eaten. Waking for suhoor counts as intention. Make-up and kaffarah fasts need an intention before fajr.
Niyyah (intention) is a condition of every fast and is made in the heart; saying it aloud is not required. For Ramadan, a vow for a fixed date and voluntary fasts, it is valid from sunset until before the midpoint between true dawn and sunset (al-dahwa al-kubra). For qada, kaffarah and vows without a fixed date it must be made at night, before true dawn, and must name the fast.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- An obligatory fast needs an intention made at night before fajr, every night; a voluntary fast can be intended before midday.
- Hanbali
- An obligatory fast needs an intention made at night before fajr, every night.
- Maliki
- One intention at the start of Ramadan covers the whole month as long as the fasting is not interrupted, and it must be made at night.
Explanation
Every act of worship depends on its intention. For fasting, the intention is simply knowing in your heart that you are fasting tomorrow, or today, for Allah. Going to bed planning to fast, or getting up to eat suhoor for the fast, already counts. There is no fixed wording, though many people like to say a short dua; see dua for starting the fast.
Each day is its own act of worship. In the Hanafi school, a fast of one day is separate from the next, so each needs its own intention. In practice this is effortless for anyone who lives Ramadan normally.
Late intention. When fasting Ashura was still obligatory, the Prophet ﷺ had it announced that whoever had not eaten should fast the rest of the day. The Hanafi school takes from this that a Ramadan fast can be intended in the morning if you have not eaten. He also once found no food at home and said he would fast that day, which shows the same for voluntary fasts.
- Ramadan, fixed vows, sunnah and nafl fasts: intend any time before midday, if you have not eaten.
- Qada, kaffarah and open vows: intend at night, and specify which fast.
- To be safe in every school, make the intention at night.
If you overslept, see is your fast valid if you miss suhoor.
The evidence
Sahih al-Bukhari 1
Sahih... إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى ...
"Actions are only by intentions, and each person has only what he intended."
Intention is a condition of every act of worship, including fasting.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2007
Sahih... من كان أكل فليصم بقية يومه ومن لم يكن أكل فليصم ...
"Whoever has eaten should fast the rest of his day, and whoever has not eaten should fast."
An obligatory fast of a fixed day could be intended during the day by one who had not eaten.
Sahih Muslim 1154
Sahih... هل عندكم شيء فقلنا لا قال فإني إذا صائم ...
"He asked whether we had anything to eat. We said no, so he said: Then I am fasting."
A voluntary fast can be intended during the day.
Sunan Abi Dawud 2454
Graded sahih... من لم يجمع الصيام قبل الفجر فلا صيام له ...
"Whoever does not resolve to fast before dawn has no fast."
The other schools apply it to all obligatory fasts; the Hanafi school applies it to qada, kaffarah and open vows.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Sawm, opening chapter on the kinds of fasts and their intention. Ramadan, a fixed vow and voluntary fasts are valid with an intention made from the night until before midday.
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Sawm, opening chapter. Qada, kaffarah and open vows require an intention at night that specifies the fast; suhoor counts as intention.
- Mukhtasar Khalil with al-Sharh al-Kabir, Bab al-Siyam. The Maliki view that one intention suffices for a continuous month.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.