Fasting Sawm

(3). Masturbation While Fasting and in Other Instances

  1. About seven years ago I intentionally invalidated my fast for several days during the month of Ramadan by masturbating. However, I do not know for sure how many days of fasting I violated in this way during the course of three Ramadans. I do not think they were less than 25 to 30 days. What is my obligation and the kaffarah that I should make?

A: Invalidating a day''s fast in the blessed month of Ramadan by masturbating, which is prohibited by Islamic law, requires one kind of kaffarah:

(1)fasting for sixty days; or (2)feeding sixty poor persons, although it is a recommended precaution to observe both of the two. As far as feeding sixty persons is concerned, you can give each of them one mudd (750 grams) of food for each day missed. Giving money is not a substitute unless it is given to a poor person to buy food on your behalf; thus, his acceptance to buy the food for himself is considered as kaffarah. Determining the price of the food given as kaffarah depends on the kind of food you choose to give, either in the shape of wheat, rice, or any other kind of food. As for the number of fasts you invalidated by masturbating, you are allowed in performing its qada and giving kaffarah to consider the number of days that you are certain about.

  1. A person bound by religious obligation [mukallaf], knowing that masturbation does invalidate the fast, and does masturbate; does he have to offer the two-fold kaffarah? What is the rule if he does it without knowing that masturbation invalidates the fast?

A: In both cases he must offer just one kind of kaffarah, if he masturbates intentionally, although it is a recommended precaution to observe the two fold kaffarah.

  1. I had an emission of semen during the blessed month of Ramadan for no reason other than excitement that I felt during a telephone conversation with a non-mahram woman. If the phone conversation was not for the purpose of pleasure, was my fast invalid? And if it was, do I have to pay kaffarah as well?

A: If it was not a previous habit of yours to have an emission of semen while conversing with a woman, and the phone conversation was not intended for pleasure and the emission was involuntary, then your fast is valid, and you are not liable to anything.

  1. A person had the habit of masturbating for a number of years while fasting in the month of Ramadan and at other times. What is the rule regarding his prayers and fasts?

A: Masturbation is absolutely prohibited, and when it leads to ejaculation it causes one to become in the state of major impurity [junub]. If this done during fasting, it amounts to breaking the fast by unlawful means. If one performs prayers and fasts in the state of major impurity [janabah], without performing major ablution [ghusl] or dry ablution [tayammum], his prayers and fasting are void and he must make them up [do their qada].

  1. Someone at the beginning of legal maturity [bulugh] fasts during the month of Ramadan, and masturbates while fasting, continuing in fasting for some days without knowing that fasting requires a state of purity [taharah], that is not being in the state of major impurity [janabah]. Is it sufficient for him to perform qada of the fasts of those days, or some other rule applies to him?

A: In the light of the question, he has to perform both qada and kaffarah.

  1. If someone who is fasting looks at a sexually arousing scene during the month of Ramadan, does it void his fast?

A: If he looks with the purpose of having an orgasm, or if he knows that it will cause him to become in the state of major impurity [junub], and it had been his habit before, and still he views it intentionally and becomes junub, then the rule that applies to him is the one that applies to someone who makes himself junub intentionally.

(4) Sexual Intercourse

1- How would sexual intercourse be achieved?

A: It would be achieved by the complete penetration of the glans penis inside the vulva or the anus of a human being or an animal.

2- If a saim [fasting person] intended to have sexual intercourse but he did not do it, would this intention invalidate his sawm?

A: This intention is considered like the intention of doing practices or taking things that would break the fast, and the sawm would not be invalidated just by this intention.

3- If a saim had sexual intercourse in a state of forgetfulness, what is the ruling regarding his sawm?

A: His sawm would not be invalidated.

4- If a saim is forced to have sexual intercourse and becomes deprived of his volition, what is the ruling about his sawm? A: If he had been really forced to the extend that he is deprived of his volition; his sawm would not be invalidated.

(5) Plunging

1- If a saim had plunged his head into water while his body was out, what is the ruling of his sawm?

A: It is haram for saim to do this and his sawm would be invalidated according to the obligatory precaution.

2- If he introduced his head into water gradually until the entire head was in the water, was the strict meaning of plunging be applied here? A: After the entire head was under the water, it will be counted as plunging. 3- If he plunged the right side of his head into water and then got it out to plunge the left side, would this act invalidate the sawm? A: There is no objection to it and the ruling of plunging would not be applied here.

  1. A fasting person was unaware that he was in the state of janabah [major ritual impurity - caused by discharged semen] until the time of the afternoon prayers. He then performed the major ablution via submerging the whole body in water [ghusl al-irtimasi]. Does this invalidate his fast? And if he realizes what he has done only after performing ghusl al-irtimasi, does he have to perform the qada of the fast? A: If one performs ghusl al-irtimasi out of forgetfulness or unintentionally (to the fact that he is fasting), then both his fast and the major ablution [ghusl] are valid; thus, he does not have to perform qada of the fast.

  2. What rule applies to someone who immerses himself in water wearing waterproof clothing such as a diving suit which does not allow the body to become wet?

A: If the clothing has close contact with his head, there is a problem in his fast being valid. Hence, as an obligatory precaution he should perform its qada.

6- What are the boundaries of the head in the issue of plunging?

A: What is meant by the head, plunging of which while fasting is haram, is the entire head till the neck.

7- If one plunges the upper part of his head down to the ears, would this harm the correctness of his sawm?

A: Unless the entire head is plunged into the water, the sawm would not be harmed.

8- If a saim had plunged his head into water sparing his hair, what is the ruling of his sawm?

A: Plunging by sparing just the hair is considered haram and would invalidate fasting.

9- Plunging the head in adulterated water [mudaf], would it validate the sawm?

A: There is no objection in plunging the head in mudaf liquid. However, it is according to precaution to avoid plunging of the head in rose-water (maul-ward).

10- If a saim had smeared his head with a substance that would prevent water reaching it and then plunged it into water, then what is the ruling about his sawm?

A: The standard is the actual plunging of the head into water even if one had smeared it with such a substance. 11- If one had plunged while he was putting his head in a bottle, then what is the ruling of his sawm?

A: If this was in such a way that it would not be applied correctly to the plunging of the head i.e. he put his head into a bottle and then plunged the bottle into the water, it would not harm his sawm.

12- If a saim had jumped into a water imagining that he would not plunge but plunging occurred, then what is the ruling?

A: If the water was not of the kind that which usually necessitates plunging or he was not aware that it would necessitate it, it would not harm the correctness of his sawm, but he is obliged to get his head out of the water immediately.

13- If a saim was in state of janabah and he could not perform his ghusl but by plunging, then what could he do? A: If he could not perform sequential ghusl (tartibi) his duty will be diverted to tayammum and he is not allowed, as per obligatory precaution, to plunge into water for ghusl.

14- If a saim had plunged into water for ghusl, then what is the ruling if?a) The sawm was mustahabb or a wajib [obligatory] but unspecified for a certain time.

b) The sawm was wajib but specified for certain time.

A: In a mustahabb and unspecified wajib sawm, his ghusl is correct but the sawm would be invalidated. While in a specified wajib sawm if it was a sawm of the month of Ramadan, both ghusl and sawm would be invalidated unless he repented after plunging and then intended to do ghusl even at the time he was getting out of the water, then his ghusl will be correct even though that his sawm had been invalidated by the plunging.