Fatwa ID: 08495

 

 

Answered by Maulana Abdurrahman Mohammad

 

Question:

 

If one forgets the time fast begins, would their fast be valid in Islam (Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamā’ah) according to the Hanafi Madhab? I had some food but didn’t know the fast begins at 5:16, I thought it was 5:18.

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer:

 

If a person mistakenly eats after Fajr thinking it’s Suhoor time, or before Maghrib thinking it’s Iftār time, his fast will break. Only Qadā’ will be necessary on him, not Kaffārah.

 

He ate Suhoor thinking that dawn had not yet come, when it had already come, or he broke his fast thinking that the sun had set, when it had not set, so he must make it up and there is no expiation [Kaffārah] for him, because he did not intentionally break his fast. This is stated in Muhit al-Sarakhsi.^[1,2,3,4]

 

If a person realizes that Suhoor time ended and continues to eat, his fast will break. Qadā’ and Kaffārah will be necessary on him.

 

If he intentionally eats something that is used for food or medicine, he must make expiation.^[5]

 

If the pre-dawn meal remains in his mouth and dawn breaks, then he swallows it or takes a piece of bread to eat it, and he is a forgetful person, and when he chews it, he remembers that he is fasting and swallows it while remembering that he is fasting, some of them said that if he swallows it before he takes it out, he must make expiation. If he takes it out and then returns it, there is no expiation on him, and this is the correct opinion. This is stated in the fatwas of Qadi Khan.^[6,7]

 

Please refer to “Intentionally Breaking Ramadan Fasts” regarding the details of Kaffārah.

 

 

 

References:

 

[1] تَسَحَّرَ عَلَى ظَنِّ أَنَّ الْفَجْرَ لَمْ يَطْلُعْ، وَهُوَ طَالِعٌ أَوْ أَفْطَرَ عَلَى ظَنِّ أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ قَدْ غَرَبَتْ، وَلَمْ تَغْرُبْ قَضَاهُ، وَلَا كَفَّارَةَ عَلَيْهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ مَا تَعَمَّدَ الْإِفْطَارَ كَذَا فِي مُحِيطِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ.

(Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 194, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah)

 

[2] (قَوْلُهُ: أَوْ تَسَحَّرَ إلَخْ) أَيْ يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ الْقَضَاءُ دُونَ الْكَفَّارَةِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْجِنَايَةَ قَاصِرَةٌ وَهِيَ جِنَايَةُ عَدَمِ التَّثَبُّتِ لَا جِنَايَةُ الْإِفْطَارِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُفْسِدْهُ، وَلِهَذَا صَرَّحُوا بِعَدَمِ الْإِثْمِ عَلَيْهِ كَمَا قَالُوا فِي الْقَتْلِ الْخَطَأِ لَا إثْمَ فِيهِ وَالْمُرَادُ إثْمُ الْقَتْلِ وَصَرَّحُوا بِأَنَّ فِيهِ إثْمَ تَرْكِ الْعَزِيمَةِ وَالْمُبَالَغَةِ فِي التَّثَبُّتِ حَالَةَ الرَّمْيِ بَحْرٌ عَنْ الْفَتْحِ.

(Radd Al-Mukhtār, vol. 2, pg. 405, Darul Fikr Beirut)

 

[3] قَالَ (وَإِذَا تَسَحَّرَ وَهُوَ يَظُنُّ أَنَّ الْفَجْرَ لَمْ يَطْلُعْ فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ طَلَعَ، أَوْ أَفْطَرَ وَهُوَ يَرَى أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ قَدْ غَرَبَتْ فَإِذَا هِيَ لَمْ تَغْرُبْ أَمْسَكَ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِ) قَضَاءً لِحَقِّ الْوَقْتِ بِالْقَدْرِ الْمُمْكِنِ أَوْ نَفْيًا لِلتُّهْمَةِ (وَعَلَيْهِ الْقَضَاءُ) لِأَنَّهُ حَقٌّ مَضْمُونٌ بِالْمِثْلِ، كَمَا فِي الْمَرِيضِ وَالْمُسَافِرِ (وَلَا كَفَّارَةَ عَلَيْهِ) لِأَنَّ الْجِنَايَةَ قَاصِرَةٌ لِعَدَمِ الْقَصْدِ،

(Al-Fath Al-Qadeer, vol. 2, pg. 372, Maṭba’ah Mustafā Al-Bābī Al-Halabī)

 

[4] (ومن تسحر وهو يظن أن) الليل باق وأن (الفجر لم يطلع أو أفطر وهو يرى) بضم الياء – أي يظن (أن الشمس قد غربت ثم تبين أن الفجر كان) حين ما تسحر (قد طلع أو أن الشمس) حين ما أفطر (لم تغرب) أمسك بقية يومه قضاء لحق الوقت بالقدر قضى ذلك اليوم ولا كفارة عليه، ومن رأى هلال الفطر وحده لم يفطر.

(Al-Lubāb Fī Sharh Al-Kitāb, vol. 1, pg. 173-174, Al-Maktabah Al-‘Ilmiyyah)

 

[5] إذَا أَكَلَ مُتَعَمِّدًا مَا يُتَغَذَّى بِهِ أَوْ يُتَدَاوَى بِهِ يَلْزَمُهُ الْكَفَّارَةُ

(Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 205, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah)

 

[6] إذَا بَقِيَتْ لُقْمَةُ السُّحُورِ فِي فِيهِ فَطَلَعَ الْفَجْرُ ثُمَّ ابْتَلَعَهَا أَوْ أَخَذَ كِسْرَةَ خُبْزٍ لِيَأْكُلَهَا، وَهُوَ نَاسٍ فَلَمَّا مَضَغَهَا ذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ صَائِمٌ فَابْتَلَعَهَا مَعَ ذِكْرِ الصَّوْمِ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إنْ ابْتَلَعَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يُخْرِجَهَا فَعَلَيْهِ الْكَفَّارَةُ، وَإِنْ أَخْرَجَهَا ثُمَّ أَعَادَهَا لَا كَفَّارَةَ عَلَيْهِ، وَهُوَ الصَّحِيحُ كَذَا فِي فَتَاوَى قَاضِي خَانْ.

(Al-Fatāwā Al-Hindiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 203, Al-Maṭba’ah Al-Kubrā Al-Amīriyyah)

 

[7] (أَوْ رَمَى اللُّقْمَةَ مِنْ فِيهِ) عِنْدَ ذِكْرِهِ أَوْ طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ وَلَوْ ابْتَلَعَهَا إنْ قَبْلَ إخْرَاجِهَا كَفَّرَ وَبَعْدَهُ

(Radd Al-Mukhtār, vol. 2, pg. 398, Darul Fikr Beirut)

 

 

 

 

Only Allah (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) knows best.

Written by Maulana Abdurrahman Mohammad

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham