Post-Imsak Ritual Ablution and the Virtue of Marital Relations Between Husband and Wife

Jakarta — Husbands and wives are permitted to engage in marital relations during Ramadan nights. However, some Muslims continue to question the appropriate timing for ritual ablution following intercourse (mandi janabat) and whether fasting remains valid if ablution is performed after imsak or approaching the Subuh prayer.

Muchlis M Hanafi, Director of Islamic Religious Information at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, explained that marital relations during Ramadan nights are permissible based on God’s command in the Quran, surah al-Baqarah verse 187, which permits intimacy with one’s spouse during fasting nights.

According to Muchlis, this verse was revealed to provide ease for Muslims. During the early period when Ramadan fasting was obligatory, permission to eat, drink, and engage in marital relations was limited only until after the Isha prayer or before sleep. This provision was later relaxed to permit such activities throughout the night until dawn breaks.

He emphasised that the Quran specifies the time limit for eating, drinking, and marital relations is until dawn breaks. However, the verse does not require a person to have achieved ritual purity from major impurity when the Subuh prayer time arrives.

Therefore, anyone engaging in marital relations during Ramadan nights may perform ritual ablution at any time. Ablution may be performed immediately after intercourse, before imsak, or even after the Subuh prayer call.

“You may perform ritual ablution at any time—it can be in the evening when you have finished relations, it can be before imsak, or it can even be after the Subuh prayer call,” said Muchlis, as cited from his book entitled “Pengantin Ramadhan” (The Ramadan Bride) pages 120–121.