13 Things That Can Invalidate Your Ramadan Fast
An act of worship is considered valid only when it is free from anything that could invalidate it. When fasting, a person must guard against all such invalidating factors to ensure the fast is legitimate.
According to NU Online, there are 10 things that can invalidate a person’s fast, as outlined by Sheikh Ibnu Qasim Al-Ghazi in Fathul Qarib, the commentary on the book of Taqrib. They are as follows:
Insertion of a substance into the body through its openings A conscious person (not in a state of forgetfulness) who inserts something into a bodily opening — for example, putting food or drink into the body through the mouth, inserting cotton buds into the ear, or inserting something into the two passages (front and rear) — invalidates the fast.
Entry of a substance into the body through a part not naturally open For instance, a substance entering the head through a wound that reaches the skin or membrane of the brain.
Huqnah (enema) Administering medication into the body through the anus or genitalia.
Deliberate vomiting Any action taken with the purpose of inducing vomiting, such as inserting one’s hand deep into the mouth, spinning around until dizzy, or exercising continuously until exhaustion causes vomiting.
Deliberate sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse intentionally carried out while fasting. If the fast in question is the Ramadan fast, the expiation (kafarah) is even more severe.
Deliberate ejaculation The intentional release of semen, whether by one’s own hand or through other means such as masturbation. However, if ejaculation occurs unintentionally — such as during a wet dream (ihtilam) — it does not invalidate the fast.
Menstruation (haid)
Post-natal bleeding (nifas) If a woman is still in a state of purity at the time of sahur (pre-dawn meal) but experiences menstruation or post-natal bleeding during the day or before the time to break the fast, her fast is invalidated.
Insanity or loss of consciousness A person who loses their sanity, even briefly, has their fast invalidated. Likewise, a person who loses consciousness due to epilepsy or intoxication for the entire day — from just before Subuh (dawn) until Maghrib (sunset) — has their fast invalidated.
Apostasy (murtad) A person who deliberately leaves the Islamic faith has their fast considered invalid, even if they do not eat or drink until Maghrib.
Beyond these 10 factors, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) identifies three additional acts that invalidate the fast.
In the Quran, three things that invalidate the fast are mentioned. In this regard, Allah states in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 187:
“It has been made permissible for you on the night of fasting to be intimate with your wives. They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them. Allah knows that you used to betray yourselves, but He turned to you in forgiveness and pardoned you. So now, be intimate with them and seek what Allah has ordained for you. Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black thread. Then complete the fast until nightfall. But do not be intimate with them while you are in retreat (i’tikaf) in the mosques. These are the limits set by Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make His signs clear to people so that they may become mindful.”
Based on this verse, the three things that invalidate the fast are: eating, drinking, and sexual intercourse. All three are forbidden for those who are fasting from the break of dawn until sunset.
Forgetting to Make the Intention — Is the Ramadan Fast Still Valid?
Still citing NU Online, forgetting to make the intention (niat) to fast renders the fast invalid. The act of fasting is considered illegitimate if performed without an intention made during the preceding night.
To avoid invalidation due to oversight, Muslims may make a single intention to fast for the entire month on the first night of Ramadan. Nevertheless, this whole-month intention serves only as a precautionary measure in case one forgets to make the nightly intention on a particular day.