Ramadan fasting rules, who fasts and who is excused.
Fasting Ramadan is fard on every adult Muslim who is sane, healthy and at home. Here is who is excused, what each person owes, and how the fast itself works.
Who fasts, and what is owed
| Person | Ramadan fast | What is owed for missed days |
|---|---|---|
| An adult Muslim, sane, healthy and at home | Must fast | Nothing, if the fast is kept |
| A child who has not reached puberty | Not obliged | Nothing. Train them gently from about seven |
| A traveller on a journey of 77 km (48 miles) or more | May leave the fast | Make up each day (qada) |
| Someone ill who expects to recover | May leave the fast | Qada |
| Someone too old to fast, or ill with no hope of recovery | Excused | Fidya for each day |
| A pregnant or breastfeeding woman who fears for herself or the baby | May leave the fast | Qada only, in the Hanafi school |
| A woman on her period or with postnatal bleeding | Must not fast | Qada, with no fidya |
| Someone who has lost their mind | Not obliged | Nothing, if it lasted the whole month |
| Someone whose hunger or thirst threatens real harm | May break the fast | Qada |
The Hanafi rulings. The guide below shows where the other madhhabs differ.
Ramadan 2027
- First fast
- Mon 8 Feb 2027
- Last ten nights
- From sunset Sat 27 Feb
- 27th night
- Fri 5 Mar, night
- Eid al-Fitr
- Tue 9 or Wed 10 Mar
Guide
The rules of fasting, from the niyyah to the make-up days.
Fasting in Ramadan means keeping from food, drink and intercourse from true dawn until sunset, with the intention of fasting for Allah. It is fard on every Muslim who has reached puberty, is sane, is healthy and is not travelling, and, for women, is free of menstruation and postnatal bleeding. Allah says: "So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of other days."1
The niyyah (intention)
The intention is in the heart: knowing that tomorrow you are fasting for Ramadan is enough. Waking for sehri with that in mind is itself an intention. Saying it aloud is not required.
For a Ramadan fast, the intention can be made from sunset the night before until just before the middle of the day (halfway between dawn and sunset), as long as you have not eaten. A new intention is made for each day.2
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Hanbali
- The intention for each Ramadan fast must be made at night, before dawn.
- Maliki
- One intention at the start of Ramadan covers the whole month, as long as the fasts are kept one after another.
وَبِصَوْمِ غَدٍ نَوَيْتُ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ
Wa bi-ṣawmi ghadin nawaytu min shahri Ramaḍān
"I intend to fast tomorrow, in the month of Ramadan."
A common wording of the intention, taught in South Asia. It is not from a hadith, and saying it is optional.
Sehri and iftar times
The fast begins at true dawn (subh sadiq), which is the start of Fajr time, and ends at sunset, which is the start of Maghrib. It is sunnah to eat suhoor (sehri) late in the night and to break the fast as soon as the sun has set. Find the exact times where you live in the Ramadan calendar.
Travel
A traveller on a journey of about 77 km (48 miles) or more may leave the fast and make it up later. Fasting is better if it causes no hardship, since Allah says "to fast is best for you".3 If you set off after dawn, you must complete that day's fast. If you break it anyway, you make it up, with no kaffarah.
Other madhhabs
- Hanbali
- Not fasting while travelling is better. Someone who sets off after dawn may break the fast once they have left their town.
- Shafi'i, Maliki
- Fasting is better for a traveller who finds no hardship. Someone who sets off after dawn should complete that day's fast.
Illness, pregnancy and old age
- Illness: if fasting would make an illness worse or slow recovery, known from your own experience or from a trustworthy doctor, you may leave it and make up the days later.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: a woman who fears for herself or her baby may leave the fast, and in the Hanafi school she only makes the days up. The fidya calculator shows how the other madhhabs differ.
- Old age or lasting illness: someone who cannot fast and has no hope of being able to pays fidya, feeding one poor person for each day. If they later recover, they make the fasts up.
- Menstruation: a woman on her period does not fast, and makes the days up after Ramadan, with no fidya.
Making up fasts: qada, fidya and kaffarah
Qada is one fast for each day missed. Make it up any time before the next Ramadan, except on the days of Eid and the three days after Eid al-Adha, when fasting is not allowed. The days do not have to be in a row. Fidya is for someone who can never fast. Kaffarah is for breaking a Ramadan fast on purpose, without an excuse: 60 days of fasting in a row. Use the qada calculator to count what you owe and the fidya and kaffarah calculator for the amounts.
Sunnah acts of the fast
- Eat suhoor, even a sip of water, and eat it late.
- Break the fast promptly with dates or water.
- Guard your tongue. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever does not give up false speech and acting on it, Allah has no need of his giving up his food and drink."4
- Pray taraweeh, read Quran and give charity.
Disliked while fasting
Tasting food without a need, chewing things, gathering saliva to swallow it, kissing for someone not sure of their self-control, and using toothpaste during the day are disliked (makruh) in the Hanafi school, but they do not break the fast. See the full list on what breaks your fast.
- Quran 2:185, translation by Sahih International.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Sawm; al-Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah.
- Quran 2:184; al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Fasl fi al-awarid; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1903. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
What are the rules of fasting in Ramadan?
Keep from food, drink and intercourse from true dawn until sunset, with the intention of fasting for Allah. It is fard on every adult Muslim who is sane, healthy and not travelling.
Who is exempt from fasting in Ramadan?
Children, travellers, the ill, the very old, pregnant or breastfeeding women who fear harm, women on their period, and anyone who has lost their mind. Most of them make the days up later; the very old and the chronically ill pay fidya.
Do I have to say the niyyah out loud?
No. The intention is in the heart. Knowing you are fasting tomorrow, or waking for sehri to fast, is enough.
Can I fast while travelling?
Yes. In the Hanafi school, fasting is better if the journey causes no hardship. If it is hard, you may leave the fast and make it up later.
At what age do children have to fast?
Fasting becomes fard at puberty. Before that, children are encouraged to try from about seven, and more firmly from about ten, as with prayer.
How long do I have to make up missed fasts?
Until the next Ramadan. In the Hanafi school, if you delay longer, you still make them up, with no extra fidya.