Prayer TimesIf a person knows it is Ramadan but does not make intention to fast at night and lets the dawn pass without intending to fast until there is only one hour left before midday, their fast is not valid.
Shaykh Shams al-A’immah al-Halwani narrated this from Imam Abu Ja‘far. In al-Hidaya it is stated: “If a person does not make intention to fast on any day of Ramadan, their fast is not valid” [1].
If after this, the person deliberately eats or has marital relations, kaffarah is not required. This is because intention is a condition for the validity of fasting. Without intention, the act of worship is not valid. Therefore, even if one refrains from eating and drinking for the rest of the day without intention, it is not considered fasting. The person must make up (qada) that day, but kaffarah is not required. Kaffarah is only required for deliberately breaking a valid fast. In this case, the fast itself is not valid [2].
Therefore, if someone does not make intention to fast from the night until there is only one hour left before midday, or delays fasting for one or two days without a valid excuse, they should repent and seek forgiveness from Allah, and only make up the missed days. Kaffarah is not required because the fast was not valid in the first place.
From the book “Fatwas Regarding Ramadan Fasting”
[1] “Al-Fatawa al-Tatarkhaniyya”, 2/98.
[2] “Radd al-Muhtar”, 3/377.
This content was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor.