Fasting Sawm

Section Three: Conditions Under Which Sawm Becomes Obligatory and Correct

1. A young girl has reached the age of legal maturity [taklif]; however, she cannot fast in the month of Ramadan due to her weak constitution. She is also unable to perform the qada of the missed days of fasting until the next Ramadan. What is the ruling in this situation?

A: The obligation of fasting or qada for the missed fasts is not removed just because of weakness or inability. Rather, qada of the missed days of fasting in Ramadan will remain obligatory upon her.

2. What is the ruling for those girls who have recently reached legal maturity and find it somewhat difficult to fast? Is nine years the age when girls become mature?

A: The legal age of maturity for girls start at the completion of nine lunar years, hence it is obligatory for them to fast. It is not permissible to forsake fasting due to some excuse. However, if fasting during the day becomes harmful for them, it is permissible to break the fast.

3. I do not know exactly when I reached the age of legal maturity [taklif], as I was not aware of this issue at that time. Please clarify, from which time is it obligatory for me to perform qada of missed prayers and fasts? Is it obligatory for, me to pay the kaffarah for the missed fasts or is qada sufficient?

A: You are only responsible for doing qada from the time that you are certain that you reached the age of legal maturity [taklif]. Payment of the kaffarah is obligatory for fasts that were intentionally broken by persons who were certain that he/she was legally mature.

4. A nine-year old girl, upon whom it is obligatory to fast, breaks her fast because fasting was very hard for her. Does she have to perform qada of those fasts?

A: Yes, she will have to perform qada of the Ramadan fast that she broke.

5. Someone with a strong excuse thought it likely, with more than 50% probability, that fasting was not obligatory for him, so he did not fast.

Later it becomes clear to him that fasting was obligatory on him at that time. What is the ruling in respect of performing qada and paying kaffarah?

A: If one breaks a fast in the month of Ramadan, assuming that fasting is not obligatory upon him, then he must carry out its qada and also pay the kaffarah. However, if one did not fast out of fear that fasting was harmful for him, then it is not necessary for him to pay kaffarah, but he must perform qada.

6- If a kafir converted to Islam during the day, is his sawm of that day correct especially if his conversion was before zawal?

A: No, the sawm of that day is not correct.

7- If a Muslim apostatizes during the sawm then he returned to Islam by repentance and renewed his intention before zawal, would his sawm remain correct?

A: No, the sawm of that day is not correct.

8- If a Sunni person returned to the right path during the day which he is in sawm, what is the ruling regarding his sawm?

A: The sawm of that day is not correct.

9- Is the sawm of the mad man accepted?

A: His sawm is not correct even though his madness might have a part of the day.

10- If the drinker or the unconscious person who has already intended to fast awoke or became conscious during the day, what should he do?

A: According to the obligatory precaution, one who has awoken from drunkenness with the previous intention to fast should complete his sawm and do qada later on. While that who became conscious after unconsciousness, then simply completing his sawm is sufficient; otherwise he should do qada, if he had not intended to fast already.

11- If the sawm has prevented some one from performing his job on which he is dependant for his income and he cannot perform other job is he, then, allowed to break his fast?

A: It is not permissible for him to break his fast unless the sawm would cause unendurable hardship for him.

12- If a sick person is cured from his disease before zawal without eating anything, is he allowed to renew his intention and continue the sawm?

A: In the given question, sawm would not be obligatory on him. However, if he become cure from his disease before zawal and he did not take anything that may break the fast, it is based on the recommended precaution to intend sawm and do its qada later.

13- A person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf] who is affected by poliomyelitis since childhood and suffers from difficulty and weakness in all voluntary movements including walking, speaking, eating, drinking etc., thus he is crippled and should always stay at home however he is mentally normal and could distinguish between right and wrong just like the normal people. For this reason he does some things to amuse himself like listening to enrapturing songs and the like. We would like to know your view about this mukallaf and what is the ruling about his salat, sawm and his other duties?

A: He should act according to the rulings of all the other mukallafs regarding salat, sawm and other obligations and it is not permissible for him to listen to songs or trifling, enrapturing music which is suitable for the dissolute and corrupt gatherings.