Prayer TimesDuring the summer, because the nights are short, those who fast often have to wake up early for suhoor. People who work or study during the day and participate in Qur'an recitation at night may sometimes be too tired to wake up for suhoor. In such cases, Islam commands that the obligatory fast must not be abandoned.
If someone misses suhoor by oversleeping during Ramadan, wakes up, and then eats or drinks even a little and intends to fast, both their intention and their fast for that day will not be valid. If a person wakes up after missing suhoor in Ramadan, they must stop doing anything that breaks the fast—such as eating, drinking, or sexual relations—and make the intention to fast for that day. It is permissible to make the intention up until midday.
It is narrated from the companion Salama (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed a man from the Aslam tribe: "Announce to the people: Whoever has eaten today should not eat for the rest of the day. Whoever has not eaten anything should fast. For today is the Day of Ashura" (Bukhari, Muslim). In this hadith, the Ramadan fast is compared to the Ashura fast. This is because, in the early days of Islam, fasting on Ashura was obligatory (Ighla-us-Sunan).
Imam Tahawi said: "This hadith is evidence that if a person who must fast on a certain day did not make the intention at night, it is valid for them to make the intention during the day." Also, if nothing that breaks the fast has been done after dawn, it is valid to make the intention until midday. However, if someone eats, drinks, or has sexual relations after dawn, whether intentionally or by mistake, it is not valid for them to make the intention to fast for that day (Fatawa Hindiyya, Sharh Tahawi).
Therefore, if someone misses suhoor by oversleeping during Ramadan, when they wake up, they must not eat or drink anything, and must intend to fast and continue their fast for the rest of the day.
Prepared by Hasan AMANKUL,
"Munara" newspaper, No. 6, 2022
This content was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor.