When you fast...

When you fast, protect your tongue from lying; lower your eye-glances from what Allah has forbidden [you to see]; do not fight with one another; do not be jealous of one another; do not backbite one another; do not abuse one another; and do not be unjust to one another. Refrain from false accusation, lying, fighting, suspicion, backbiting, and slandering.

Be those who look forward to the hereafter, and wait for your days, waiting for what Allah has promised for those who have prepared to meet Allah.

You must have tranquility, sobriety, humility, servility, and submissiveness of a slave who fears his master; and be fearful [of Allah’s chastisement] as well as hopeful [in His forgiveness].”[^1] General Rules It is appropriate now to explain some rules of fasting, and append to them the specific questions and answers concerning this important Islamic ritual. Among the acts that invalidate fasting is intentionally eating and drinking .

So, if a person who is fasting eats or drinks by mistake (e.g., he forgot that he was fasting) and not intentionally, his fasting is in order and there is no penalty upon him. Among the acts that invalidate fasting of Ramdhan is intentionally staying in a state of janabat until the beginning of true dawn.

So if such a person intentionally remains in that state without performing major ablution (ghusl) until the beginning of the true dawn in the month of Ramadhan, then it is obligatory upon him to refrain from the forbidden things for the remaining of the day.

(As a matter of obligatory precaution one should abstain with the intention of “ ma fidh dhimma — what is expected of him”.) They should also make up this fast some other day [after Ramadhan] with the intention of “ ma fidh dhimma ” and also incur the penalty, based on obligatory precaution. If a person is sick and cannot perform ghusl because of his sickness, he should do tayammum before true dawn; thereafter, they will be considered to be in a state of ritual purity.

Thus, they will be able to fast. Among the acts that invalidate fasting in the month of Ramadhan is for a woman to remain until true dawn in a state of ritual impurity caused by menstruation (hayz) or post-natal bleeding*(nifas)* after it had stopped and while it was possible for her to do major ablution (ghusl) . So if she stays without ghusl till the beginning of true dawn, her situation will be the same as that of the person in janabat as mentioned above.