The Official Website of Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi

the following are a few points pertaining to fasting. 1. Generally speaking, if one breaks their fast due to some legitimate excuse, based on obligatory precaution, they should abstain from fast invalidators until Maghreb except for those who break their fast due to travelling, menstruation or some illness for whom it is recommended to abstain from eating and drinking until Maghreb. 2. Eating saḥūr or Iftar is not obligatory and one cannot break the fast on the pretext of not having eating Saḥūr unless they cannot continue fasting due to excessive weakness or they are afraid of falling sick. However, if one knows that this will occur to them, they are required to have the Saḥūr. But nonetheless, if one does not have the Saḥūr and then has to break the fast, kaffārah will not be obligatory upon them. 3. Committing haram acts which do not invalidate fasting, such as telling a lie, backbiting, listening to haram music, making friends with non-mahram or speaking with non-mahram more than enough, which are likely to result in corruption, do not invalidate fasting. But they reduce the spiritual reward and spiritual impacts of fasting and it is necessary for the believer to repent to Allah immediately. 4. If one misses their prayer, it does not cause a problem for the fast, but one should try not to miss a prayer and should one miss a prayer based on obligatory precaution, they should make up for it before the next prayer. 5. Fasting has its own definition and the fast of silence or children's half-day fasting are not legitimate in Islam. However, parents can come up with a schedule made up for three meals so that the children can practice fasting for the time of their puberty. 6. If one does not fast without having a legitimate excuse, we should forbid them from doing this evil using an appropriate tone and we should not provide food for them, even if the one not observing fast is a worker in our house. But it is permissible to give them a pay raise instead of preparing food for them unless a certain situation arises in which we have to prepare food in the blessed month of Ramadan in which case it is not problematic. 

Fasting is disliked on several occasions which are as follows 1. Fasting on the day of Ashura 2. Fasting on the day that one doubts whether it is the day of Arafah or Eid al-Aḍḥā 3. The fast of guests without the consent of their host But fasting on any day of the year except for Haram and Makrūh fasts is recommended However, it has been recommended more to fast on some days which are as follows 1. The first and last Thursday of a lunar month and the first Wednesday after the 10th day of each lunar month If one does not fast on these days it is recommended that they make up for the missed fasts 2. The 13th, 14th and 15th of each lunar month 3. The entire month of Rajab and Shaban However, in the event that one is not able to fast for the whole month, they can fast as much as they can 4. The fast of the 24th of Dhu al-Ḥijjah and the 25th of Dhu al-Qadah 5. Fasting from the 1st to the 9th of Dhu al-Ḥijjah on the condition that on the 9th day of Dhul-Hajjah which is the day of Arafah, physical weakness from fasting does not cause one to miss out on Arafah dua in which case fasting on the 9th day of Dhul-Hajjah is disliked 6. Fasting on the auspicious day of Eid al-Qadir 7. Fasting on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day of Muharram 8. Fasting on the birthday of the most noble Prophet of Islam (s), which is the 17th of Rabī‘al-Awwal 9. Fasting on the day of the Mab‘ath of the Holy Prophet of Islam(s), 10. Fasting on Nowruz. If one observes a recommended fast, it is not obligatory upon them to continue fasting until the end of the day and they can break the fast whenever they wish. Even if a fellow believer invites one observing a recommended fast to eat, it is advisable that they accept the invitation and break their fast, in which case they are also rewarded with a thawab of the fast but on the condition that the host is in earnest about the invitation. 

Even though fasting is one of the main branches of religion and it has been emphasized a lot in narrations, it becomes haram on some occasions, which are as follows. 1. fasting on Eid al-For and Eid al-Aḍḥā 2. The fast of a woman when it is in conflict with the conjugal rites of her husband and he does not give consent to it. Even if it is not in conflict with her husband's rite, the obligatory precaution demands that she obtain his permission before fasting. 3. The recommended fast of children is not permissible if it causes inconvenience for their parents. However, children are not required to obtain their parents' permission for fasting. 4. The fast of one who is certain that fasting will do them harm. In this situation, if one fasts, it is invalid and they have to perform the qada of the fast later. Even if one thought that fasting was not harmful for them but after iftar they realized that it was, it is recommended for them to perform the qada of the fast. 5. One who deems it highly probable that fasting will be harmful for them, whether they deem it probable themselves or a trustworthy physician has diagnosed so. 6. Fasting on the Yawm al-shak, meaning the day about which one is doubtful whether it is the last day of Shaban or the first day of Ramadan, with the intention of it being the first day of Ramadan, unless one observes that day's fast with the intention of fasting for the month of Shaban. Fasting is not permissible for six groups of people, but it is still recommended for them to abstain from things that invalidate fasting. 1. Travelers who have broken their fast on a journey and have arrived in their hometown or in the place where they intend to stay for 10 days before noontime. 2. Travelers who have arrived in their hometown or in the place where they intend to stay for 10 days in the afternoon. 3. A sick person who has recovered from their illness before noon but have done things that invalidate fasting. 4. A sick person who has recovered from their illness in the afternoon even if they have not committed any of the fast invalidators. 5. A woman who has become pure in the middle of the day from menstruation or bleeding after childbirth. 6. Non-Muslims who have converted to Islam on a Ramadan afternoon, but if they have converted to Islam before the noontime without having committed any of the fast invalidators based on obligatory precaution. 

It is not possible to announce one day as Eid Al-Fiṭr for all Muslim countries, since the announcement of the Eid for each country is based on the sighting of the Moon in that country itself. However, if the Moon is sighted in a city, then the start of the month is also ascertained for nearby cities as well as remote cities which are deemed to share the same horizon, meaning the cities that are not too far from one another. For instance, in Iran, not all cities have a united horizon. However, almost all of the areas in the country fall on similar horizons and if the Moon is sighted in cities located in the center of Iran, its observation can be confirmed in other cities as well. Also, those who live in the Persian Gulf region can act according to the announcement of the beginning of the month in Iran, but those who live in the Western and Eastern countries should act according to the views of trustworthy astronomers from whose statement they can reach certitude. Even neighboring countries such as Afghanistan cannot act according to the announcement of the beginning of the month in Iran unless they are deemed to fall on the same or similar horizon. For example, their horizon is different by 0.5 degrees. One cannot prove that the previous night was the eve of the first day of Shawwal based on the height of the Moon from the horizon and late setting of the Moon. Furthermore, accurate astronomical calculations as well as calendars do not confirm the start of the month unless one can gain confidence in their statements about the sighting of the Moon. Nevertheless, nowadays with respect to the precision of astronomers' equipments, provided that all astronomers reach a consensus on the sighting of the Moon, one can hardly disagree with them unless a large number of people contradict their statements. 

During the last day of the month of Ramadan, people are waiting for the arrival of the auspicious Eid-ul-Fiṭr However, the arrival of Eid-ul-Fiṭr cannot be announced until the moon is sighted One can acquire certainty about the end of the month of Ramadan in several ways which are as follows 1. One can acquire certainty by observing the moon of Shawwal with their own eyes However, the observation of the moon with a binocular or telescope is not sufficient 2. A group of people testify that they have sighted the moon and one can acquire certainty from their statement that the moon has been sighted 3. Two just Eid-ul-People bear testimony that they have sighted the moon of Shawwal Nevertheless, these two people might describe features of the moon that are different from one another such as describing different places for the moon or providing reasons which indicate that their claims of sighting the moon are wrong in which case, the beginning of the month cannot be established by their testimony 4. Thirty days from the first day of the month of Ramadan has passed in which case, there is no need to sight the moon but on the condition that the first day of Ramadan is proved accurately 5. Finally, a fully qualified Mujtahid, Al-Hakim al-Shar’i derives certainty about the sighting of the moon and he announces the arrival of Shawwal by means of his rulings Therefore, it is incumbent upon everyone to abide by his ruling unless someone is certain that the jurist is mistaken Nevertheless, in all of these cases, if one finds out afterwards that Eid-ul-Fiṭr has been announced mistakenly one must make up for the miss fast but observing kaffārah is not required. 

if one is not certain whether the time of breaking the fast has arrived, they must not break their fast, and if they do, they must both make up for the missed fast and give kaffārah for breaking the fast intentionally. But as for Fajr-Adhān, if one doubts whether or not the Adhān has been announced, they can do things that invalidate fasting, and it is not incumbent on them to investigate. However, if one commits one of the fast invalidators and then finds out that Fajr had already set out, they must make up for the missed fast. Looking at one's watch or clock is also considered to be an investigation, provided that they are accurate. Eating Saḥūr is recommended, but based on obligatory precaution, the one observing fast should abstain from eating and drinking before the Fajr-Adhān is announced. However, the time of maghrib-Adhān is considered the end of fasting and one can break their fast at the moment Adhān is being announced. It is recommended for the fasting person to perform their prayer before breaking the fast. However, if there is no presence of the heart or if someone is waiting for them, they had better break their fast first, but they should try to perform the prayers within their privileged time. In circumstances in which one lives in some region of the earth where there is an extreme variation in daylight hours and nights. For example, days could extend to more than 18 hours, and one observing fast is not able to fast for such long hours. They can fast according to the horizon of areas with moderate hours, such as the city of Tehran. Meaning, one can start fasting for 15 hours from the time of Fajr-Adhān if the fasts in Tehran last for 15 hours and then they can break the fast. Nevertheless, if one has the ability to fast completely in such regions, then they should act accordingly. 

The last group of people who are exempt from fasting are patients who have some legitimate excuse for not fasting, as fasting will cause damage to their health or be excessively difficult for them, or their illness will become more severe or linger on if they fast, or a trustworthy physician has told them that fasting is highly likely to damage their health. However, not every physician can make one exempt from fasting and only trustworthy physicians can do so. But nonetheless, even if a trustworthy physician makes one exempt from fasting and yet one acquires certainty that fasting does not do them harm, then they are obligated to fast. Also, physicians may forbid an individual to fast only on the condition that they deem it highly probable that fasting will be harmful and, if the possibility of harm is low, they cannot exempt one from fasting. In any case, if one does not fast as a result of some illness, but they recover from it until the Ramadan of the following year, they must make up for the missed fasts. Otherwise, it is not incumbent on them to make up for the missed fasts and giving kaffārah is sufficient. Cirrhosis is a kind of disease that affects the liver and people who are suffering from this disease are allowed not to fast as it is extremely difficult for them since this kind of disease makes one extremely thirsty. However, such people had better suffice to drinking water as much as they need during the month of Ramadan and if they become able to fast later, based on obligatory precaution, they should make up for the missed fasts. However, if they are not able to fast until the following year, they must give kaffārah for each fast they have missed. 

Several groups of Muslims are allowed not to observe fasting. First of all, boys and girls who have not yet reached the age of Shari puberty. However, those girls who have just reached the age of puberty and are not able to fast do not have to do so. Even if they do not become able to fast until the Ramadan of the following year, it is not incumbent upon them to perform the qada of the missed fast. And all they have to do is give one mode of food to a needy person for each missed fast. If a girl has the ability to fast but she breaks her fast because of being forced by her parents to do so, she must perform the qada of the missed fast later. But based on obligatory precaution, her parents are obliged to observe the amd kaffārah. The second group is the elderly who find it excessively difficult to fast. If they can fast in a season with mild weather after Ramadan, they should make up for the missed fast based on the precaution. But in the event that they cannot fast until the following year, they no longer have to make up for the missed fast and it is sufficient for them to give one mode of food to a needy person for each fast they have missed. The third group of people who are not obligated to observe fasting are pregnant women for whom or for whose fetus fasting is harmful. In that case, if fasting is harmful for them alone, it is sufficient to perform the qada of the missed fast later. Furthermore, if they cannot fast until the following year, they do not have to perform the qada of fast either and giving kaffārah is sufficient for them. Nevertheless, if pregnant women's fasting would cause harm to the fetus, they should both perform the qada of the missed fast and give kaffārah after childbirth. The fourth group is women who are breastfeeding their babies and fasting can do harm to either themselves or their babies. However, they should both make up for the missed fast and also give one mode of food as kaffārah whenever they can. But if fasting is harmful for themselves, they should only make up for the missed fast whenever they can and if they cannot fast until the following year, only kaffārah is due on them. Nevertheless, if such mothers are able to find someone who can breastfeed their baby without charging them any money or being beholden to her, then they are obligated to fast. 

If one owes a vow fast, they cannot observe it while traveling. And even if they make a vow to observe fasting on a journey, or make a vow to fast whether on a journey or at home, they cannot fast on a journey, and this kind of vow is even problematic. Even if one makes a vow to fast on a certain day such as mid-Sha'ban, based on obligatory precaution, they should not travel on that day. And if they do so, if possible, they should stay for 10 days in a place where they can fulfill their vow. In addition to obligatory fasts, all of the recommended fasts are invalid to observe while traveling except for the Hajat fasts, which are specific to Medina, and one can observe them even when they stay less than 10 days in Medina. Hajat fasts must be observed in three consecutive days, and the obligatory precaution is for those three days to be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Thanks to technological advances, many trips are taken by airplane. Therefore, transportation may take place at a higher speed than the change in local time zone. In that case, if one travels by air to the western regions after dohr, yet they arrive in the destination on the morning time on the same day, they must abstain from things that invalidate fasting until the Maghrib Adhān according to the time in the destination. Also, if one travels by air in the morning and arrives in their hometown before the Fajr Adhān, they can eat and drink again until the Fajr Adhān and then observe their fast. If on the last day of Ramadan, one travels to a place where Ramadan has not finished yet or Eid al-Fiṭr has arrived earlier, they should act according to the local time, even if that means they are going to fast more than 30 days or fewer than 29 days in total.

The fast of the travelers who are obligated to perform prayers in Qasr form becomes invalidated, whereas those obligated to perform prayer in its complete form, even while on a journey such as Kathīr as-Safar, frequent traveler, must fast on a journey. Traveling during the month of Ramadan is not unlawful. However, traveling in order to escape fasting is disliked. Furthermore, if one makes an intention to pass the traveling limit on every day of Ramadan in order to break their fast, they are considered to be a frequent traveler and must observe all of their fasts. If one does not know that a traveler's fast is invalid, and finds out after Maghrib that they should not have fasted on a journey, their fast is valid. But if they find this out during the day, their fast is void. Also, if one forgets that they are a traveler, or that a traveler's fast is invalid and fast on a journey, then in both cases, based on obligatory precaution, their fast is invalid and they must perform the qada of the fast. However, not every journey invalidates fasting. If one makes the intention to stay somewhere for 10 days, they must fast, and even if one decides one day in the afternoon to come back from the journey before 10 days are completed, the fasts observed during the journey until that day are valid, but they must not fast in the rest of the journey. Likewise, when one observing fast sets out on a journey after Ẓuhr Adhān, their fast is valid, and they must not break it, but if they set out on a journey before midday and they are still on a journey at the time of Ẓuhr Adhān, their fast is invalid. However, they must be careful not to break the fast before reaching the permitted limit. Had tarakhkhuṣ If one breaks their fast before reaching the permitted limit, not only should they make up for the fast of that day, but giving kaffārah also becomes obligatory upon them, unless they had forgotten at that moment that they were fasting, or that they were not allowed to break their fast before reaching the permitted limit. Or they do not know at all that fast must not be broken before reaching the permitted limit, in which case, kaffārah does not become obligatory. Moreover, if one arrives in their hometown after Ẓuhr Adhān, they cannot fast.

Islamic laws fall in to five categories. 1. Wājib A series of acts which a Muslim is obligated to perform such as prayer, fasting, and hajj pilgrimage. 2. Muharramat Acts which a Muslim must abstain from such as telling a lie or backbiting. 3. Mubāḥat Acts which have no spiritual reward if one performs them, nor is it sinful if one does not. 4. Mustaḥabat A series of acts which have reward if one performs them, and yet not performing them is not sinful, such as almsgiving. 5. Makrūhat A series of acts which are not sinful, and yet it is better not to do them, such as eating hot food. It is noteworthy that at times when a believer fasts, some acts which are allowable or even recommended in normal circumstances become makrūh for them. The disliked acts of fasting are as follows. 1. Putting medication in the eyes or inhaling snuff through the nose are makrūh for one who is not certain whether these things will reach their throat. But if one is certain that the medicine will reach their throat and be swallowed, they should not do so or else the fast will be invalidated. 2. Applying kohl in a way that the taste or smell of it reaches the throat. 3. Doing things that cause weakness such as taking a bath, giving blood, having teeth extracted or doing anything that causes blood to come out of the mouth. 4. Smelling aromatic plants. 5. To sit in water for women based on precaution. 6. Applying a suppository based on precaution. 7. Moistening the clothes. 8. Brushing the teeth with a fresh piece of wood. 9. Doing things that arouse sexual desire on the condition that there is no intention of ejaculating or else fasting will be invalidated.

if one has a doubt whether or not they have a qada fast due, they can observe recommended fast. But if they are certain that a qada fast is due on them, they cannot observe recommended fast. But they can make a vow to observe the recommended fast and observe fasting in term of the vow on the condition that they have time to perform the qada fast. So, if they for example owe 10 qada fasts, they should have at least 10 days by the time Ramadan arrives so that they can make up for the fasts. Furthermore, if one owes qada fasts, they can observe hired fasts on behalf of someone else. However, there are times where the number of qada fasts increases to such an extent that the exact number is forgotten, in which case the minimum number would be sufficient unless forgetting the number is due to negligence, meaning, one knew the number of lapsed fasts but they have forgotten out of negligence how many qada fasts they must keep, in which case the obligatory precaution demands that one should consider the maximum number of lapsed fasts they think are due on them. If one has qada fasts left over from a number of previous Ramadan and there is time for performing the qada, a fast of the last Ramadan, one can make up for the fasts of each of the Ramadan months. But if time is short, it is necessary that one performs the qada fast for the last Ramadan first. If one dies while the qada of prayer or fast is due on them, their eldest son has the obligation to keep the qada of their lapsed fasts and prayers. However, if the eldest son is not certain whether his parents have qada fast due on them, he is not obligated to keep the qada of fast for them. But if he knows that they have a few qada fasts due, he should make up for the fast as much as he is certain. Nevertheless, in circumstances in which one has failed to observe the fast of Ramadan due to a legitimate excuse such as menstruation, and has not managed to make up for the lapsed fast until the beginning of the Ramadan of the following year because of death, the eldest son is not required to make up for these fasts. 

If one misses fast in Ramadan, they must make up for it before the Ramadan of the next year. And if one forgets that they have the qada of fast due on them until the Ramadan of next year, based on obligatory precaution, they must both perform the qadah of fast and give one mood of food to a needy person for each fast. In circumstances in which one does not perform the qada of fast until the following year with no legitimate excuse, both the qada and kaffārah of fast will be obligatory upon them. Even if one postpones performing the qada of fast to such an extent that time becomes short and they cannot observe fast owing to some excuses such as illness, both the qada and kaffārah of fast are due on them. However, if the shortness of time is not due to negligence but some excuse arise afterwards, one is not required to observe kaffārah and they should only make up for the missed fast. But if one misses a fast in Ramadan and is unable to fast until the following year due to some excuse such as illness, they are not required to make up for the fast missed in Ramadan of the previous year and they should only give one mood of food for each missed fast. If this illness lingers on for several years, once they recover from it and there is time left for making up the missed fast of Ramadan of the last year, then they must perform the qada of these missed fasts and also give one mod of food to the poor in proportion to each fast they have missed. But if one cannot make up for the qada of fasts of Ramadan due to some excuse such as travelling which has lasted from the Ramadan of this year until the Ramadan of the next year based on obligatory precaution, they must both perform the qada of missed fast and give one mood of food to a needy person. However, if one owes a qada fast and time for performing the qada is short, they cannot travel during that time since it is not possible to perform the qada fast while travelling and if one travels anyway, they commit a haram act and they must both make up for the missed qada fast and observe the kaffārah of delay. Married women are not required to obtain their husband's permission to perform the fasts of Ramadan or the qada fast for which no time is left. However, with respect to recommended fasts as well as qada fasts for which there is time to make up later, provided that the woman's fasting is in contradiction with her husband's right, she is not permitted to observe fasts without obtaining her husband's permission. However, in the event that she fasts without asking her husband's permission and her husband requests her to break her fast in the afternoon, she must refuse to do so. 

In some cases, committing fast invalidators does not invalidate fasting, and one is not required to perform the qada of fast. These cases are as follows. 1. When something other than liquids is taken in to the mouth and swallowed involuntarily, or when some water gets in to the nose and is swallowed involuntarily. 2. When in the month of Ramadan, one makes sure after investigating that the time for Fajr-Adhān has not arrived, and therefore commits acts which invalidate fasting, and later comes to know that it was Fajr time. 3. When one drinks water or eats something out of forgetfulness. 4. When one has a lawful courtship with his wife, while he is certain that it will not result in the discharge of semen from his body, but it is accidentally discharged anyway. 5. When one becomes junub on the night of Ramadan and goes to sleep, but he does not wake up until after Fajr-Adhān. 6. When water is entered in to the mouth to rinse out the mouth when performing wuḍū, and it is swallowed involuntarily. However, in cases other than wuḍū, if one knows that by rinsing out their mouth with water it will go down the throat, they should not do so. In general, rinsing out the mouth with water too much is makrūh for one observing fast, but if one performs this act, they should drive water out of their mouth afterwards. Therefore, it is advisable to drive water out of the mouth three times. In some cases, one is exempt from observing fast and one is not required to make up for it. These cases are as follows. 1. When one becomes insane at the time of time-specific obligatory fast, there is no qada of fast due on them. 2. A disbeliever who converts to Islam after puberty is not required to make up for the fast they missed at the time of disbelief unless a Muslim becomes an apostate and afterwards converts to Islam again, in which case they must perform the qada of the fast they miss when being an apostate. 3. One is not required to make up for the fast they missed while in coma. 4. If one becomes unconscious unintentionally, for example, if they are anesthetized for surgery, they are not required to perform the qada of the fast they missed at the time of anesthesia. But if losing consciousness happens intentionally, meaning without a legitimate excuse and due to taking some medication, based on precaution, they should make up for the missed fasts. 5. If the one observing fast becomes in toxicated, even if they have consumed the in toxicating material mistakenly or for treatment, their fast is invalidated and they must make up for it, even if one makes the intention to fast before becoming in toxicated and concludes the fast in a state of in toxication, they must still perform the qada of fast based on obligatory precaution. 

There are circumstances in which fasting is invalidated, yet one is not required to observe kaffārah, and all one needs to do is perform the qada of the missed fast. 1. When one is doubtful in their intention of fasting, or they decide to invalidate their fast, however, they do not commit any acts which invalidates the fasting, or make an intention of fasting to show off. 2. If one, without having investigated about fajr arrival, does something that invalidates fast in the month of Ramadan, and they come to know later that it was time for fajr, they should make up for this fast. Even if they investigate, however, they are still doubtful whether or not its fajr time they should make up for the fast. 3. When another person has said that it is fajr time, but one does not have certainty about it, or assumes that the person is just kidding, and therefore does the invalidators of fast, or when one asks an unreliable person about fajr time, and does one of the fast invalidators on account of what that person has said, and then they later come to know that the time of fajr adhān had arrived. 4. If a truthful person informs one about the arrival of the time of Maghreb, and depending on that, one breaks their fast, but they come to know later that Maghreb had not yet arrived. 5. When due to darkness in the clear sky, one becomes certain that Maghreb has arrived, and therefore break their fast, and then they find out that it was not yet Maghreb. 6. When one rinses out their mouth to cool themselves off or without any purpose, and some water is swallowed involuntarily. 7. When one has a wet dream at night in the month of Ramadan, and goes back to sleep after that, and then wakes up and goes back to sleep for the second or third time, and does not wake up before fajr, in which case the obligatory precaution demands that they only make up for the missed fast, but if he goes to sleep and wakes up after the fajr adhān, their fast is valid. 8. Based on obligatory precaution, when one forgets to perform ghusl after Janābah, ritual impurity, and fasts in a state of Janābah. 9. When a man has lawful courtship with his wife, but he is not certain that what he is doing will not result in the discharge of semen, and it in fact does not result in ejaculation, in which case only qada is due on him. 

If one intends to feed other people as kaffārah for their missed fast, firstly, they should feed the poor only, and secondly, they should set aside one mud of food for each poor person. One mud is equivalent to approximately 750 grams of wheat, barley, or one ordinary meal that can make one feel full. However, as for the kaffārah of invalidating the fast on purpose, 60 muds of food must be given to 60 poor people, and it is not permissible to give one poor person several muds of food except if one does not have access to 60 poor people. But if one knows that the poor person shares the food of kaffārah with his or her family, one could set aside one mud of food for each member of his or her family. In this respect, one can set aside an entire mud of food for minors of the poor person's family. But in kaffārah of excuse or kaffārah of delay, one can give the kaffārah of several fasts to one poor person. However, care must be given to give each poor person one mud of food completely. Meaning, if one is supposed to give three muds of food to two poor persons, it is not permissible to give each of them one and half muds of food. Rather, one of them must be given one mud of food and the other two muds of it. One, however, could give money to the poor in lieu of food, but on the condition that firstly, this sum of money is in proportion to the prices of the city in which kaffārah is paid, and secondly, it must be ascertained that this money is solely spent on purchasing food. Otherwise, kaffārah must be paid anew since this money can solely be spent on providing food for the poor and it must not be spent for any other purpose. A few points. 1. Based on obligatory precaution, kaffārah cannot be given to one who is wājib Nafaqah, meaning, for example, a husband is not permitted to give the kaffārah due on him to his wife, even if his wife is poor. 2. Based on obligatory precaution, those who are not sayyid cannot pay their kaffārah to poor sayyids, and it is only sayyids who can pay their kaffārah to other sayyids. 3. If one intends to pay the kaffārah due on his wife or on someone else, based on an obligatory precaution, one must obtain their permission and then pay their kaffārah on their behalf.

If one is obligated to observe kaffārah, but they are not able to observe it fully, they cannot abandon the amount they can observe. For instance, as for ‘Amd kaffārah, if one does not have the ability to fast for 60 days, nor can they afford to feed 60 needy persons, then they must abide by the following instructions. 1. They should feed as many poor people as they can. 2. If they cannot feed the poor, they must fast for 18 days. Yet, in this case, it is not necessary to fast for 18 consecutive days. 3. If one cannot fast for 18 days, then they can fast for as many days as they can. 4. Even if fasting is not possible for them either, they must do Istighfār. Yet, they do not have to put it in to words. In this case, even if they are able to observe kaffārah later, it will no longer be obligatory upon them to do so. If one is obligated to observe the Jam’ kaffārah, but they cannot fast for 60 days, nor can they feed 60 poor people, then they should fast for as many days as they can, and feed as many poor people as they can afford. If one does not have the ability to observe kaffārah, it is not necessary that someone else do it on their behalf, as everyone's kaffārah is obligatory only upon themselves. Therefore, if kaffārah becomes obligatory upon a woman, her husband does not have the obligation to pay her kaffārah, and the woman should perform kaffārah once she becomes able to. Similarly, if kaffārah is obligatory upon parents, their sons and daughters have no responsibility for observing kaffārah, and it is not even permissible to take kaffārah out of the very property bequeathed to heirs by their deceased parents, unless the matured heirs give their consent to paying kaffārah out of their own share of inheritance, or the parents themselves have made a will, in which case the kaffārah is taken out of their properties, provided that it does not exceed one third of the properties. 

Whenever one wishes to observe the kaffārah, a fast, they must make an intention, or else they will be obligated to redo kaffārah. Therefore, we will be examining different types of kaffārah together. 1. ‘Uzr kaffārah There are circumstances in which an individual cannot fast in the month of Ramadan, owing to some legitimate excuse, such as some illness, and their excuse lingers on until the Ramadan of the next year, in which case, they must observe ‘Uzr kaffārah. However, if they know that it will last until the Ramadan of the next year, they can give kaffārah immediately after this year's Ramadan. 2. Keara of Delay In the event that a person is unable to observe fast in Ramadan due to a legitimate excuse, such as some illness, they must perform the qada, a fast, before the Ramadan of the next year. But if the excuse has expired, and they have not made up for the missed fast intentionally before the Ramadan of the next year, in addition to performing the qada of the fast, they must observe kaffārah for postponing it, which takes the form of giving one mudd, approximately 750 grams, of food to the poor for each missed day of fast. But delaying the qada of fast for some more years does not add to kaffārah, meaning that if one has not performed the qada of fast due on them for some years, the kaffārah for each missed day is giving just one mudd of food. 3. ‘Amd kaffārah if the one fasting intentionally commits one of the things that invalidates fasting, they must observe one of the following options. They can either feed 60 poor people with one mudd of food or fast for 60 days, 31 days of which must be done consecutively based on an obligatory precaution. If one of the fasts out of these 31 days is deliberately missed, they must redo the fasts, unless that has happened due to some legitimate excuse, such as menstruation, in which case kaffārah fasts can be continued once the excuse has expired. Everyone can choose either of the two methods of giving kaffārah, but combining them is not permissible. As a case in point, it is not permissible to feed 30 poor people and perform kaffārah fast for 30 days. But if one has first made an intention of fasting for 60 days, but they later intend to feed 60 poor people in lieu of the former on the condition that they have not yet performed the first 31 days of kaffārah fast, they can complete the fast of that day and afterwards feed 60 poor people. But if they have fasted for the entire 31 days, it is not possible to change the form of kaffārah anymore and they should perform the rest of the kaffārah fast. 4. Jam a kaffārah Upon invalidating the fast by committing an unlawful act based on an obligatory precaution one is obligated to observe “Jam’ kaffārah” meaning they have to fast for two months and also feed 60 people it’s not necessary to observe each of these kaffārah right away yet one shall not delay them to such an extent that is considered by other people negligence in fulfilling one’s duty even if several years have elapsed from kaffārah nothing will be added to it yes the one that opts for the kaffārah of 60 days of fast most based on obligatory portion observed them before the Ramadan of the next year if it’s possible for them. 

If one, God forbid, breaks their fast by doing a haram act in the month of Ramadan, such as drinking wine, if they do so knowingly, deliberately, and mindfully, not only does their fast become invalid, and they must perform the qadda fast, they must also undertake jame kaffārah based on an obligatory precaution. Even if one does not know that this entails jame kaffārah, it is still due on them. Nevertheless, if one does not know that doing something unlawful, such as attributing a lie to Allah, invalidates the fast and happens to commit it, their fast is invalid, and they must perform a qadda fast, but they do not become liable to kaffārah. Moreover, if the fast is broken on the account of committing an unlawful act before midday in obligatory fasts other than the fast of Ramadan, such as qadda fast, kaffārah is not obligatory on the fasting person even though an unlawful act has been committed and the fast has been invalidated. But if the unlawful act is committed in the afternoon, not only is the fast invalidated, but one is also obligated to perform kaffārah. This means that one must feed 10 poor people, or if they cannot do so, they can fast for 3 days, preferably 3 consecutive days. Moreover, if while observing the kaffārah fast, one commits an unlawful act which invalidates their fast, they must complete the kaffārah fasts, and also they must feed 10 poor people as well, based on an obligatory precaution. If the one fasting does the things which invalidate fasting several times during the fast, such as eating and submerging one's head in the water afterwards, giving one jame kaffārah is sufficient for them. Furthermore, if the fast is broken by means of one unlawful act and is followed by whether the unlawful or lawful invalidators of fasts for several times, giving one jame kaffārah is sufficient. But if the fast is broken by a lawful invalidator such as water, and afterwards is broken by some unlawful invalidators such as drinking wine, based on obligatory precaution, a two-fold kaffārah is due on the fasting person.

When a fasting person breaks his fast, depending on what the intention of his fasting is and when during the day he has broken his fast, his act could be permissible or prohibited. For example, it is permissible to break a recommended fast at any time during the day. However, a non-specified obligatory fast can be broken only until before the ẓuhr Adhān and, based on the obligatory precaution, it is not permissible to break such fasts after ẓuhr. Similarly, the Qada fasts of the month of Ramadan can be broken before the ẓuhr Adhān on the condition that there is still time to perform it on another day. If one breaks a Qada fast after ẓuhr, he has done a haram act and he needs to pay expiation for it as well. The expiation for it would be feeding 10 poor people with 1 mudd of food, which is almost 750 grams, and if one cannot afford that, they need to fast 3 days as expiation. As for the specified obligatory fasting, it is not permissible to do anything that invalidates fasting after the Fajr. Therefore, if one intentionally does anything that would invalidate their fasting, knowing that it is prohibited, they need to expiate it in addition to observing the Qada fast. Similarly, if one breaks their fast because they heard an unreliable person say that it was sunset when in fact it was not, they need to observe the Qada fast and expiate it as well. There are 4 cases of intentionally breaking the fast which will not incur expiation. 1. If one breaks one's fast and then they encounter a problem, such as menstruation or an illness which prevents them from fasting on that day. In this case, they only need to observe the Qada fast, but expiation is obligatory upon them. 2. If a person knows for sure that a certain day is the first day of the month of Ramadan, but they intentionally do not fast on that day or invalidate their fasting and then later they realize that it was the last day of the month of Sha'ban, they do not need either to observe the Qada or expiate it. 3. If a person doubts whether a certain day is the last day of the month of Ramadan or the day of Eid al-Fiṭr, and they intentionally break their fast and later realize that it had been the day of Eid al-Fiṭr, they do not need to either fast again for that day or pay any expiation. 4. Generally speaking, if a fasting person does any of the invalidators of fasting due to lack of knowledge regarding the related religious rulings, their fasting will be invalidated and they must observe the Qada fast, but they do not need to

One of the things which can invalidate fasting is when a fasting person does something to intentionally throw up. In such a case, the person in question must pay expiation in addition to observing the qada fast. Also, if an individual knows that eating certain foods will make them throw up, the recommended precaution demands that they avoid eating those foods. So, if they eat such foods and then throw up during the day, their fasting will be invalidated. In cases where a fasting person has to throw up intentionally due to food poisoning or for the treatment of some illnesses, their fasting will be invalidated, but they do not need to pay any expiation for it and they only need to observe the qada fast. However, in cases that a fasting person throws up involuntarily or they do it intentionally while they have forgotten that they are fasting, their fasting will not be invalidated. In addition to the five invalidators of fasting which have already been discussed, sexual intercourse, masturbation, remaining in the state of Janābah and anima are the other things which invalidate fasting. In order to learn more about the Islamic laws regarding these invalidators of fasting, refer to the book of Practical Laws of Islam by Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi or his Eminences Office website. A few important points. 1. If one does any of the nine invalidators of fasting inadvertently or out of forgetfulness, they will not invalidate one's fasting. The only exception to this rule is the case of remaining in the state of Janābah where a person sleeps while being junub and does not perform ghusl until the fajr time or forgets to perform ghusl until fajr. In this case, the fasting of the person in question will be problematic. 2. If a fasting person is forced to do any of these invalidators of fasting, for example, if someone forces their head underwater, their fasting will not be invalidated. However, if a fasting person is forced to break their fast themselves, like when a powerful person threatens them, that if they do not do that, it would hurt them or cause them some substantial material damage. They can break their fast and their fast is void. However, they only need to observe the qada fast. 3. There are also cases where a fasting person inadvertently does one of the acts that invalidate fasting and then does that act again, thinking that their fasting was invalidated the first time. In such cases, the obligatory precaution demands that they avoid doing anything else that could invalidate their fasting until the time of iftar and then observe the qada fast as well. Nevertheless, they do not need to pay any expiation for this. 

If a fasting person submerges underwater, whether under pure water like drinking water or mixed water like the muddy water of rivers, based on the obligatory precaution, their fasting will be invalidated. The same rule also applies if their body is outside the water and only their head submerges completely underwater. Even when fasting a specific obligatory fast, if one submerges ones ahead underwater for the purpose of ghusl, both their ghusl and their fasting will be invalidated. Therefore, they must both redo the ghusl and observe the Qada for that fast and it is obligatory upon them to pay expiation too. Also, if a fasting person jumps in the water to save the life of a drowning person and submerges completely underwater, their fasting will be invalidated. Of course, saving the life of a person is obligatory even if it causes one's fasting to be invalidated, but one must later observe the Qada of that fast. But if one submerges their head underwater inadvertently, such as when one falls in to water accidentally, or if they forget that they were fasting and submerge their head underwater, their fast will be valid, but the obligatory precaution demands that as soon as they remember, they must get their head out of water. But it is permissible for a fasting person to plunge their body in water. As for underwater divers and frogmen, they can submerge completely underwater while fasting if they wear a headgear that completely encircles their head while they dive underwater. Also, if a fasting person plunges a part of his head underwater while another part of it is still out of the water, their fasting will be valid. Similarly, if they submerge one half of their head first and then submerge the other half, their fasting will not be invalidated. However, it should be noted that the hair does not constitute a part of the head in this ruling. Thus, if one submerges their head completely underwater while their hair is still out of the water, their fasting will be invalidated.

According to the obligatory precaution, if a fasting person tells a lie and ascribes it to Allah or the divinely sent Prophets or the infallible Imams, their fasting will be invalidated. And it does not matter whether they say such a lie verbally, write it, indicate it through sign language or convey it through any other means. Even if someone recites the Qur'an incorrectly and ascribes that to Allah, their fasting will be invalidated. If one wants to relate some saying which he is not sure whether it is truly from Allah, the Prophets or the Infallibles or not, they must mention exactly who they heard it from or what book they read it in. But if one is sure that some saying is a lie and not the words of Allah, the Prophets or the Infallibles, they must not relate it even with mentioning the source. But if the words of one infallible Imam is mistakenly ascribed to another Imam, it will not invalidate the fasting. Sometimes one says something which they believe is true but later realizes that it was not. In such cases, their fasting is valid. However, if one ascribes what he considers to be a lie to Allah, the Prophets or the Infallibles, but later realizes that they have actually said such a thing, their fasting will still be problematic. If a fasting person intentionally teaches religious laws incorrectly to people and they mean to ascribe those laws to Allah or to the Prophet, they have both committed a prohibited act and have invalidated their fasting. But if they intended to ascribe those laws as a ruling to A Mujtahid, or they had been unsure about it, and later realized that it was not correct, their fasting will be valid. But they have committed a prohibited act. In addition to ascribing laws to Allah, ascribing partners to Allah will also invalidate fasting. In general, such acts are both prohibited and the invalidators of fasting. Therefore, if someone commits them, they must repent for their sin, but their repentance will not make up for their void fasting. 

Just as eating and drinking invalidate fasting, thick dust which reaches the throat and turns in to mud there also invalidates fasting. Therefore, the individuals such as street cleaners whose jobs require them to work in dusty environment must be careful not to invalidate their fast. In fact, if a fasting person believes that they might run in to thick dust or smoke in a certain place, they must be cautious and not go there unless they make sure that thick dust or smoke do not enter their throat. If a fasting person forgets that he is fasting and he allows dust to reach his throat or has been careful enough but inadvertently dust reaches his throat, his fasting will not be invalidated. What is meant here by dust is anything that looks like dust whether it is created by something that is prohibited to eat such as dirt or something that is permissible to eat like flour. Smoke is also another invalidator of fasting. For example, smoking is prohibited and in addition to its general prohibition, the smoke taken in while smoking will invalidate fasting as well. Therefore, if a fasting person smokes while fasting, they must both observe the qada' for that they is fast and pay expiation of the deliberately broken fast. Also breathing in thick steam or vapor also invalidates fasting. Even steam and vapor that is not thick as an obligatory precaution invalidates fasting too. But taking a shower will not invalidate fasting even if steam permeates the shower and it is breathed it intentionally. But if taking a shower makes a fasting person weak, it is considered to be abominable during the time of fasting. The individuals who suffer from asthma and need to use inhalers during the day do not need to worry because inhalers release a sort of gas which is not an invalidator of fasting. Breath sprays will not invalidate fasting if, like inhalers, they too produce a substance that enters the mouth in the form of a gas. Naturally, there is no problem with using perfumes for a fasting person but it is considered abominable makrūh for a fasting person to smell fragrant plants. 

Not all sicknesses exempt one from fasting. For example, some sicknesses can be controlled by taking the necessary medication before a fajr and after iftar. In such cases, it is obligatory for one to fast. But if this will harm their bodies, they must not fast. It is also possible that one feels weak due to intense activity or hard work while one is fasting. But this does not allow one to break their fast unless their loss of energy or their thirst becomes unbearable, harmful or even nearly fatal. In such cases, one can eat or drink water a little but they must not eat or drink any more during the time of fasting and if this has happened during an obligatory fasting, they must also observe a qada fast later if they can. Sometimes, a fasting person who is sick feels better or is cured by an intramuscular injection but it is impermissible to receive intravascular shots and if they receive blood transfusion, they must complete their fasting on that day and then, according to the obligatory precaution, they must also fast another day as compensation for that day's fasting. However, as mentioned earlier, it is permissible for them to receive any sort of intramuscular shots and it will not invalidate the fast. Also, using suppositories will not invalidate fasting but according to precaution, it is considered abominable during fasting. It might also be necessary for some to undergo dialysis during fasting. In such cases, if something is taken away from their bloodstream, their fasting will be valid. But if they undergo exchange transfusion or something is added to their bloodstream, the obligatory precaution demands that they observe the qada fast of that day as well. Visiting the dentist is also permissible during fasting but one must be careful not to swallow anything. If one gets a filling and they are certain that getting a filling will not cause them to swallow blood and they inadvertently swallow some blood, their fasting will not be invalidated. Having ultrasonography diagnostic tests does not invalidate fasting. Also, having endoscopy or colonoscopy diagnostic tests does not invalidate fasting as long as no lubricants or other such substances has been applied on their devices. Using eye d r o ps will not invalidate fasting either as long as the d r o ps do not find their way into the mouth or are not intentionally swallowed. But using ear d r o ps or nose d r o ps, which one is sure will find their way to the throat and will be swallowed, is problematic while fasting.

As for fasting, in regions where days or nights are extremely long or too short, for example over 18 hours, one should observe their fast according to the prayer times of those regions with normal day length. For instance, one should calculate how long fasting lasts in Tehran or Cairo and start fasting from fajr adhān according to the time in their own area and fast for the same number of hours. But as for prayer, in areas where days are not too short, one should perform prayers according to sunrise and sunset and midday of that area. And if days are too short, one should act in accordance with what we said in regards to fasting. 

If one makes certain of the time of sunrise and sunset through observations of the sky and applying astronomical theories, they could act accordingly. If trustworthy astronomers notify us with certainty about the beginning and the end of the month of Ramadan in regions where the weather is often cloudy and the moon is not visible, it is sufficient. Performing prayers in leather clothing purchased from the bazaar of Muslims is permissible even though one doubts whether or not the leather belongs to an animal which has been Islamically slaughtered. However, if one is certain that the leather has been imported from non-Muslim countries and the seller is an irresponsible person who has not investigated about the leather then it is not permissible to perform prayer with it.

 If a disbeliever converts to Islam, it is not obligatory to observe the qada of missed prayers and fasts due from the past. But if a Muslim turns apostate and converts to Islam again, it is incumbent upon them to perform the qada' of the obligations missed at the time of the disbelief, and based on precaution, they must give the kaffārah of deliberately fast-breaking for the fast they have not observed. In the countries where there is no way of determining the exact direction of qiblah, it suffices to stand in the direction known as qiblah among Muslims. To observe the rule of qiblah in Polar Regions, one is required to stand in a direction that has the shortest distance from Mecca. Astronauts must pray in the direction of where the earth is located in the space. There is no problem in following Sunni Imams in congregational prayers in their regions and in places where you have communication with them for maintaining solidarity on the condition that they have no animosity against Shia Muslims. However, the rule pertaining to the connection between rows of prayer must be observed in any case.