Table of Contents
Meaning of Conditions of Fasting
In this chapter we focus on what must be present for fasting in Ramadan to be obligatory on a person, and what is required for a fast to be valid. These are called the conditions of fasting. They come before the details of what breaks the fast or the excuses for not fasting, which are treated in their own chapters.
Allah made fasting an obligation for believers with wisdom and mercy, not as a burden without limits.
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may attain taqwā.”
(Qur’an 2:183)
The Prophet ﷺ also clarified who is obliged and how to intend the fast.
“Islam is built upon five: the testimony that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving zakah, pilgrimage to the House, and fasting Ramadan.”
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
We will distinguish between conditions for obligation and conditions for validity of the fast.
A condition for obligation means: without it, the person is not required to fast.
A condition for validity means: without it, the fast does not count, even if the person tried to fast.
Conditions for Fasting to Be Obligatory
Islam
Fasting in Ramadan is only obligatory for a Muslim. Allah addresses the command of fasting to “those who have believed.”
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting…”
(Qur’an 2:183)
Non Muslims are first called to Islam itself. If a non Muslim fasts while rejecting Islam, this is not considered a true act of worship because it is not built on faith in Allah and His Messenger. Once a person accepts Islam, the obligation of fasting begins when the other conditions are met.
Puberty
Fasting is obligatory on those who have reached puberty. Children are encouraged and trained to fast, but it is not yet a duty upon them.
“The pen has been lifted from three: from the sleeping person until he wakes, from the child until he reaches puberty, and from the insane until he regains his mind.”
(Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi)
Parents are encouraged to gently teach children to fast according to their ability, but their fast is considered voluntary, not obligatory.
Sanity
The obligation of fasting only applies to a person who is sane. If someone has lost their mind permanently, or is in a state where they have no understanding, fasting is not required from them. The same hadith shows that the insane person is not held accountable:
“And from the insane until he regains his mind.”
(Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi)
Sanity is a condition of obligation and also affects validity, because fasting is an intentional act of worship.
Ability and Absence of Hardship That Lifts the Duty
A key condition for obligation is that the person is able to fast without unbearable harm. Allah did not make the religion to cause destruction to people.
“Allah does not charge a soul except with that within its capacity.”
(Qur’an 2:286)
“And do not kill yourselves. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.”
(Qur’an 4:29)
People who are temporarily unable to fast, such as the sick or the traveler, or those in specific states like pregnancy and breastfeeding, have their detailed rulings in the chapter “Excuses for Not Fasting.” Here we only note the principle that if fasting would cause serious harm or extreme hardship, the obligation is lifted or delayed, and Allah has given a lawful alternative.
“…But whoever among you is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of days [are to be made up]…”
(Qur’an 2:184)
Conditions for the Validity of the Fast
Even when fasting is obligatory on a person, the fast only counts if certain conditions are fulfilled. These conditions relate to the time, the state of the fasting person, and the intention.
Correct Time: Fasting Between True Dawn and Sunset
A valid fast of Ramadan must be kept during the specified time: from the true dawn until the sun has completely set.
“…And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread of the night. Then complete the fast until the night.”
(Qur’an 2:187)
The “white thread of dawn” here refers to true dawn, when the light spreads horizontally on the horizon, not the first vertical light. The end of the fast is at sunset, when the disk of the sun disappears below the horizon.
The Prophet ﷺ explained the start and end clearly:
“When night comes from here, and day departs from here, and the sun has set, then the fasting person has broken his fast.”
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
If someone eats after true dawn out of carelessness or continues to refrain from food after sunset thinking it is still day, this affects the validity of the fast as explained specifically in the chapter “What Breaks the Fast.” Here we focus on the rule that fasting must occur within the correct time frame.
A fast is only valid when the person refrains from the nullifiers of fasting from true dawn (Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib).
Intention (Niyyah) Before Fajr
Fasting is an act of worship. It must be done for the sake of Allah, not as a diet or a social habit. The intention is an inner decision of the heart, not a spoken formula.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Actions are only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.”
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
Regarding the fast specifically:
“Whoever does not intend to fast before Fajr, then there is no fast for him.”
(Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi; graded authentic by many scholars)
This shows that for obligatory fasting like Ramadan, the intention should be present during the night, before the start of Fajr. It is not necessary to say anything with the tongue. Knowing that tomorrow is a day of Ramadan and deciding in the heart that you will fast for Allah is sufficient.
Some scholars state that a single intention at the beginning of Ramadan to fast the whole month is valid unless something interrupts it, such as travel or illness. Others recommend renewing the intention each night. In any case, the intention must be present before dawn for each day to count.
Rule: For obligatory fasts, the intention must be in the heart before true dawn for the fast of that day to be valid.
Being Free from Menstruation and Postnatal Bleeding
A condition for the validity of a woman’s fast is that she is not in a state of menstruation or postnatal bleeding during the fasting hours. If the bleeding exists at any time between true dawn and sunset, the fast of that day is not valid.
The Prophet ﷺ said to women, reminding them of their religious duties:
“Is it not the case that when she menstruates, she does not pray and she does not fast?”
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
This is not a deficiency in her value or honor, but simply a mercy from Allah that she is excused from fasting at that time. However, she must make up the missed days later as shown in another report:
“We were ordered to make up the fasts but we were not ordered to make up the prayers.”
(Muslim)
(Narrated by ‘Aishah رضي الله عنها about menstruating women)
If menstruation begins during the day, the fast of that day is invalid and is made up later. If the bleeding stops at night, and she is clear before Fajr, her fast of the coming day is valid even if she performs ghusl after Fajr, provided there is no sexual impurity preventing her from fasting itself.
Avoiding What Breaks the Fast During the Fasting Hours
Part of the condition for validity is that the person avoids what the Shariah counts as nullifiers of fasting during the fasting period. The detailed list and rulings of what breaks the fast are discussed in the chapter “What Breaks the Fast.” Here we only note the principle that deliberately performing a nullifier during the fasting hours invalidates the fast.
Allah mentioned the basic things that fasting requires a person to avoid during the day.
“…So now have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you, and eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread of the night. Then complete the fast until the night…”
(Qur’an 2:187)
From this verse, scholars understood that avoiding eating, drinking, and marital relations from dawn until sunset is necessary for the fast to be valid.
The Prophet ﷺ also linked the inner state and outer actions of the fasting person:
“Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, then Allah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.”
(Al-Bukhari)
This hadith shows the importance of fasting from sins of the tongue, though the technical invalidation of the fast is specifically tied to certain actions which are explained in detail elsewhere.
For a fast to be valid, the person must refrain during the fasting hours from the agreed nullifiers of fasting, such as intentional eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse.
States That Do Not Prevent the Validity of Fasting
To avoid confusion, it is helpful to mention briefly some states that do not, by themselves, invalidate the fast, as long as the other conditions are fulfilled. The detailed proofs and cautions are explained more fully in the chapter “What Breaks the Fast.”
Janābah (Major Ritual Impurity) at the Start of the Day
If a person is in a state of major ritual impurity at Fajr, for example after marital relations or a wet dream at night, his or her fast is still valid as long as the intention to fast was present and no nullifier occurs after Fajr. The person must perform ghusl for prayer, but the delay of ghusl beyond Fajr does not invalidate the fast.
There are narrations from ‘Aishah and Umm Salamah رضي الله عنهما:
“The Prophet ﷺ would reach the morning in a state of janābah from his wives, then he would fast.”
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
This clarifies that janābah at Fajr does not break the fast. It affects prayer, not the validity of the fast.
Forgetfulness
If a fasting person eats or drinks out of forgetfulness, the fast is still valid, because Allah is Merciful and does not hold people accountable for what they genuinely forgot.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever forgets while he is fasting and eats or drinks, let him complete his fast, for it is Allah who has fed him and given him drink.”
(Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
This hadith confirms that forgetful eating or drinking does not break the fast, though once the person remembers, they must immediately stop.
Summary of Key Conditions
The conditions of fasting divide into those that make fasting obligatory and those that make it valid.
For fasting in Ramadan to be obligatory, a person must be:
Muslim,
adult (having reached puberty),
sane,
and able to fast without serious harm or unbearable hardship.
For a specific day of fasting to be valid, it must be:
observed within the correct time from true dawn to sunset,
based on a sincere intention made before Fajr for obligatory fasts,
free from menstruation or postnatal bleeding during the fasting hours in the case of women,
and protected from the actions that break the fast during the day.
All these conditions are from the mercy and wisdom of Allah, who has legislated fasting to purify the believer and increase taqwā, not to cause destruction or impossible hardship.
“Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship, and [He wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that which He has guided you, and perhaps you will be grateful.”
(Qur’an 2:185)