1. Fasting is for a Muslim male, or female who is in her pure state, to abstain from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse from subah saadiq (early dawn) till sunset with the intention of fasting. Hence, if one eats after subah saadiq or one eats before sunset, one’s fast will not be valid. ^[1]

2. It is not necessary for a person to make a verbal intention to fast. Instead, it is sufficient for one to make the intention of fasting in one’s heart. ^[2]

3. Fasting in the month of Ramadhaan is fardh on every baaligh, sane Muslim. As long as there is no valid excuse, it is not permissible for one to omit fasting. ^[3] If one is ill or one is a musaafir, it is permissible for one to delay the fast and make qadha of it after Ramadhaan. ^[4]

4. If ghusl becomes compulsory upon one at night, and one only performs ghusl after the fast commences, the fast will be valid. ^[5]

5. If a fasting person experiences a wet dream during the day, his fast will not break, but ghusl will be compulsory upon him. ^[6]

If one broke his fast during the month of Ramadhaan through having relations, kaffaarah will be compulsory upon him. However, if he did not discharge the kaffaarah and repeated the crime of having relations during two or more Ramadhaans, then a separate kaffaarah will be compulsory upon him for each Ramadhaan. ^[1]

If one broke his fast during the month of Ramadhaan through eating or drinking, kaffaarah will be compulsory upon him. If he did not discharge the kaffaarah and repeated the crime of eating or drinking during two or more Ramadhaans, then a separate kaffaarah will not be compulsory upon him for each Ramadhaan. Rather, one kaffaarah will suffice on behalf of all the broken fasts during the several Ramadhaans. ^[2]

Fasting is a salient feature of Islam. To openly eat and drink during the month of Ramadhaan is tantamount to showing disregard to the salient feature of Islam and is thus a major sin. ^[1]

If the one who does not fast and openly eats and drinks regards it as a sin, but does so due to weakness of Imaan, he will be guilty of commiting a major sin. However, he will not leave the fold of Islam. ^[2]

If he believes that there is no sin in what he is doing, then he has regarded this salient feature of Islam to be insignificant. This will therefore cause him to leave the fold of Islam. ^{See 1}

Kaffaarah for a Broken Fast

If one breaks his fast in the month of Ramadhaan without a valid excuse, he will be sinful due to committing a major sin. ^[3] The way for one to make taubah for this major sin is that one sincerely repents to Allah Ta‘ala for committing this major sin and makes a firm resolve that he will never repeat this sin in the future.