My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam, it is always a blessing to gather in the remembrance of Allah and to seek a deeper understanding of our beautiful deen through reading Islamic articles. Before we even speak about the punishment for breaking a fast in Ramadan, we must first understand what Ramadan truly is.
Ramadan is not just a month on the calendar. It is a sacred appointment between you and your Lord. Ramadan fasting is an obligatory act like Salah that we are observing. Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah:
“O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you, that you may attain Taqwa.” (Qur’an 2:183)
This verse alone tells us everything that fasting is not optional. It is a divine obligation just like prayer. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in an authentic hadith:
“Islam is built upon five: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving zakah, fasting Ramadan, and Hajj to the House.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
So when we talk about deliberately breaking a fast in Ramadan, we are not talking about a small mistake. We are talking about abandoning one of the pillars that holds up your Islam. And that is why the scholars have always spoken about this issue with seriousness.
Why deliberately breaking a fast in Ramadan is not a small matter
When a person abandons fasting without a valid excuse or breaks it intentionally without a valid excuse, they are neglecting an act that Allah Himself made obligatory. This is not like missing a voluntary fast. Ramadan fasting is different. Some Islamic scholars explained that abandoning an obligation intentionally is from the gravest of sins because it is a direct violation of Allah’s command.
When someone deliberately breaks their fast in Ramadan without excuse, not out of forgetfulness, not illness, not travel, but out of carelessness, they are essentially violating Allah’s command. And that is why the scholars describe it as a major sin (kabirah) among all the major sins in Islam. It is a serious sin requiring sincere repentance and making up the fast, and in certain cases, expiation (kaffarah), which we will discuss later.
The punishment for breaking a fast in Ramadan
We have different means in which one can break a fast, which makes the punishment for breaking a fast in Ramadan to differ. There are a lot of things that can break one’s fast. The deliberate ones that can break one’s fast include eating or drinking, taking a nutrient injection or a drip and having sexual intercouirse in the day of Ramadan intentionally.
The punishment for breaking a fast in Ramadan due to eating or drinking is different from the punishment for breaking a fast in Ramadan due to sexual intercourse during the day of Ramadan. Let’s pick them one by one.
What If Someone Breaks Their Fast by Eating or Drinking Deliberately?
My dear brothers and sisters, this is where the discussion of the punishment of breaking a fast in Ramadan becomes serious, and we must approach it with knowledge. We are not here to judge but to learn about our deen. All scholars agree on one foundational point: Deliberately eating or drinking during the day of Ramadan without a valid excuse is a major sin (kabirah). Why?
Because Allah commanded fasting explicitly, violating that command without excuse is disobedience tied to one of the pillars of Islam. This is eating and drinking directly, or when food or drink is transported into the interior of the body through means like drips or injection deliberately and having the intention to restore one’s energy and not for treatment purposes, then this falls under the same ruling of eating and drinking deliberately.
This is because if a substance replaces food and drink by nourishing the body, then it takes the same ruling as eating and drinking. But injection for treatment purposes only, which doesn’t nourish the body, doesn’t break the fast.
What is the ruling?
The majority of scholars hold that if someone deliberately eats or drinks during Ramadan:
- They must sincerely repent.
- Feel deep regret and remorse for having disobeyed their Lord.
- Resolve never to return to this sin.
- They must make up (qada’) for that day after Ramadan.
- They do not owe kaffarah (major expiation)
There is a consensus among all the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah that a person who deliberately breaks their fast by eating or drinking must make up that day by fasting one day after Ramadan. This is because the original obligation to fast that day still stands, and it must be fulfilled. It is a debt owed to Allah, and debts to Allah are more deserving of being paid.
They held that kaffarah is specifically required for intercourse during the day of Ramadan, not for eating or drinking. They explained that the Prophet ﷺ clearly legislated kaffarah in one case only, intercourse, and we cannot extend expiation beyond what the text establishes. They explained that such a person has committed a major sin and MUST repent to Allah with sincerity and regret.
Punishment of Breaking a Fast in Ramadan Through Sexual Intercourse
My beloved brothers and sisters, this is the most serious form of deliberately breaking a fast in Ramadan. Engaging in sexual intercourse with one’s spouse during the daytime in Ramadan, while fasting, is a grave major sin (kabirah) and a profound violation of the sanctity of this blessed month. The ruling is established by the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus (ijma’) of the scholars. Allah Almighty says in Surah Al-Baqarah:
“It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. 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 night]. Then complete the fast until the night. ” [Quran, 2:187]
This verse explicitly mentions eating, drinking, and sexual relations as a unified category of acts that are permitted at night and prohibited during the day. This means that mere insertion of the male organ into the female organ, such that the tip is concealed, is sufficient to bring on this penalty. Ejaculation is not a condition. The act itself, regardless of completion, invalidates the fast and incurs the full ruling.
What Is the Ruling?
If a married person intentionally has sexual intercourse during the day in Ramadan, while fasting, knowing it is prohibited:
- The fast is invalid.
- The person has committed a major sin.
- They must repent sincerely.
- They must make up for that day.
- They must offer kaffarah (major expiation).
What Is the Kaffarah?
The kaffarah for breaking a fast through sexual intercourse in Ramadan is one of the most severe penalties in Islamic law, and it is directly derived from the hadith of the man who came to the Prophet ﷺ. It is done in this order:
1️⃣ Free a slave.
2️⃣ If unable, fast for two consecutive months without interruption.
3️⃣ If unable, feed sixty poor people.
Today, freeing a slave is no longer applicable in most contexts, so the ruling moves to the next step.
Fasting Two Consecutive Months
This means 60 continuous days. No breaks. If broken without a valid excuse, the count must restart.
Feeding Sixty Poor People
If someone physically cannot fast two consecutive months due to illness or genuine inability, then they must feed sixty poor people. Each poor person must receive a meal sufficient for one person. The evidence of this is from the hadith that Abu Huraira reported:
A man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said, “I am ruined, O Messenger of Allah!” The Prophet said, “What has ruined you?” The man said, “I was intimate with my wife during Ramadan.” The Prophet said,
“Can you find a slave to set free?” He said no. The Prophet said, “Are you able to fast two months in a row?” He said no. The Prophet said, “Can you find sixty poor people to feed?” He said no. Then the man sat down and someone came to the Prophet with a basket of dates. The Prophet said,
“Give these dates in charity.” The man said, “Is there anyone poorer than us? There is no family between the two plains of Medina that is poorer than mine.” The Prophet laughed until we could see his back teeth and he said, “Go and feed your family.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1936, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1111
Is the Ruling the Same for Both Spouses?
This is a crucial point of detail. The ruling applies to both the husband and the wife who are fasting and willingly participate in the act, that is, the intercourse. The expiation is obligatory on both the male and the female if she willingly consented to it.
However, if the wife was compelled or forced by her husband, then the responsibility falls entirely on him. In such a case, the wife is only required to make up the fast (qada) for that day, and no expiation is due upon her, as she was not a willing participant.
My beloved brothers and sisters, now you understand the reality of the punishment of breaking a fast in Ramadan. It is clear to you now that…
- If someone eats or drinks unintentionally, there is no sin.
- If someone deliberately breaks a fast in Ramadan by eating or drinking, they must repent and make up the fast.
- If someone breaks it through sexual intercourse, the sin is greater, and kaffarah becomes obligatory.
We ask Allah to protect us from negligence, from weakness, from desires that overpower us. Ya Allah, make Ramadan beloved to our hearts, make fasting easy for us, purify our intentions and write us among those freed from the Hellfire. Ya Allah, do not let us leave Ramadan except that You are pleased with us. Aameen
