The ruling for one who intentionally broke their fast years ago
27 أيار 2024
السؤال :
Question 3
What is the ruling on an individual who broke their fast intentionally even if this happened 5 years ago? Likewise what about a person who ate or drank publicly during the daytime of Ramadhān? Does this person have to pay an expiation or make up those missed days? Kindly provide me with a detailed answer
الجواب :
Answer
All praise is due to Allah
Breaking the fast intentionally during the daytime of Ramadhān without a valid reason is a great sin and a major sin from amongst the major sins in Islām. There is no doubt in that as fasting Ramadhān is a pillar from the pillars of Islam and a clear obligation
A person who breaks their fast on purpose does so either due to laziness/weakness/desires, or due to seeing it as a permissible act (going against the ruling of Allah)
If it’s due to the latter, I.e. believing that fasting is not obligatory or believes that it is not obligatory on them and that it is optional; depending on what an individual wants they either fast or don't fast or denies it's
obligation entirely thus denying the shari'ah and the rule of Allah or even worse, mocks the fasting itself, the fasting people and insult the religion
One who finds himself in this position has in reality left the fold of Islām and must re-enter Islām by uttering the shahādah and making a sincere repentance
For such a person, there is no repayment of fasting due as they weren't classed as a Muslim at the time
As for the other category, the one who breaks the fast on purpose without a valid reason but out of laziness or desires, then this person is a sinful Muslim. What is obligatory on them is to make up the fast after having repented, regretted and made a firm resolution not to return to this major sin again. After having repented, the person makes up the fast to free themselves from the sin they fell into of breaking the fast
As for expiation, then this is not due as expiation has only been legislated in one specific scenario which is for the one who breaks their fast during the daytime of Ramadhān due to intercourse. As for breaking the fast by eating/drinking or not fasting at all in the first place, then the only obligation is to make up the fast
The questioner mentioned 5 years ago. It is important to note that whether 5 years or a long period of time has passed, this is the right of Allah and it must be repaid whatever the case
Allah knows best
And all praise is due to Allah
Transcript of Sheikh AbdulHaqq Turkmāni's answer
May 27 2024 | 19 Dhul-Qa'dah 1445
