7 Fasting Mistakes That Can Invalidate Your Fast!

The holy month of Ramadan is just around the corner. Muslims are now busy preparing to reap the blessings of this sacred month. One of the obligatory acts of worship during Ramadan is fasting.

Fasting involves refraining from desires, such as hunger, thirst, and anything else that may invalidate the fast, from dawn until sunset.

Allah SWT has commanded Muslims to fast, as stated in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 183:

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

"O you who have believed, fasting is prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you that you may become righteous."

Read more: A Guide to Make Up for a Missed Fast

In addition to making fasting obligatory for Muslims, Islam also outlines certain actions that can invalidate the fast. According to Dr. Mujazin, S.Pd., M.A., Head of the Center for Da'wah and Education at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), these rules serve as a way for Allah to test His servants' piety and the quality of their fast.

“Allah loves when the quality of fasting is high. This is proof of His love for His servants, as His rules are so precise,”  Mujazin stated on Monday (24/2/2025)

Mujazin listed seven things that can invalidate a fast, which are as follows:

1. Intentionally Eating and Drinking

Deliberately eating or drinking during the day in the holy month of Ramadan will break a Muslim's fast. In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 187, Allah says:

“Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the night, but do not mix them..." [QS Al-Baqarah 2:187]

2. Intentionally Vomiting

Vomiting refers to expelling food from the stomach through the mouth. If a fasting Muslim intentionally induces vomiting, their fast is considered broken.

“If vomiting happens unintentionally and without any effort, meaning it comes out naturally, then the fast remains valid,” Mujazin explained.

This rule is also supported by a hadith:

‎وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم - - مَنْ ذَرَعَهُ الْقَيْءُ فَلَا قَضَاءَ عَلَيْهِ, وَمَنْ اسْتَقَاءَ فَعَلَيْهِ اَلْقَضَاءُ - رَوَاهُ اَلْخَمْسَةُ

“Whoever vomits involuntarily does not have to make up the fast, but whoever deliberately induces vomiting must make it up.” (HR Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, and An-Nasa’i)

3. Menstruation and Postpartum Bleeding

Women in Islam are granted special considerations due to hayd (menstruation) and nifaas (postpartum bleeding). Menstruation occurs when the uterine lining sheds due to an unfertilized egg, while postpartum bleeding is the blood discharge following childbirth.

If a woman experiences menstruation during fasting, her fast is invalidated, and she must make up for it (qadha) at a later time.

This ruling is based on a hadith narrated by Muslim (No. 335)

Aisyah radhiyallahu ‘anha said:

كَانَ يُصِيبُنَا ذَلِكَ فَنُؤْمَرُ بِقَضَاءِ الصَّوْمِ وَلاَ نُؤْمَرُ بِقَضَاءِ الصَّلاَةِ.

“We used to experience menstruation, and we were commanded to make up the missed fasts but not the missed prayers.” (HR Muslim, No. 335)

4. Intentionally Ejaculating

If a person deliberately causes ejaculation (such as through masturbation), their fast becomes invalid. This ruling is derived from a hadith narrated by Tirmidhi and Baihaq:

عن أبي سعيد الحدري قال : قال رسول الله صلي الله علبه وسلم : ثَلَاث ٌلاَ يُفْطِرْنَ الصَّائِمَ : أَلحِجَامَةُ وَالْقَيْءُ وَاْلإِحْتِلاَمُ (رواه الترميذي والبيهقي)

From Abu Said al-Khudri: Rasulullah said "Three things do not break the fast: cupping (hijama), vomiting, and having a wet dream (involuntary ejaculation)." [HR. Tirmidhi and Baihaqi]

5. Engaging in Sexual Intercourse During the Day

Husbands and wives who engage in sexual intercourse during the daytime in Ramadan face serious consequences. The prohibition of sexual relations while fasting is clearly stated in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:187):

أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ ٱلصِّيَامِ ٱلرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَآئِكُمْ ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَّهُنَّ ۗ عَلِمَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنكُمْ ۖ فَٱلْـَٰٔنَ بَٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَٱبْتَغُوا۟ مَا كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلْخَيْطُ ٱلْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْطِ ٱلْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ ٱلْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا۟ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُبَٰشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمْ عَٰكِفُونَ فِى ٱلْمَسَٰجِدِ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

“It has been made permissible for you to be intimate with your wives during the nights of fasting. They are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He turned to you in mercy and pardoned you. So now, you may be intimate with them and seek what Allah has decreed for you. Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black thread. Then, complete the fast until sunset. But do not be intimate with them while you are in i'tikaf in the mosques. These are the limits set by Allah, so do not approach them. This is how Allah makes His signs clear to the people so that they may become righteous.”

Breaking the fast through sexual intercourse requires kaffarah, a specific expiation that may include fasting for two consecutive months or feeding 60 poor people, as mentioned in Islamic teachings.

أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: أَتَى رَجُلٌ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: هَلَكْتُ، وَقَعْتُ عَلَى أَهْلِي فِي رَمَضَانَ، قَالَ: أَعْتِقْ رَقَبَةً قَالَ: لَيْسَ لِي، قَالَ: فَصُمْ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ قَالَ: لاَ أَسْتَطِيعُ، قَالَ: فَأَطْعِمْ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا

Hadith from Abu Hurairah: A man came to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and said, “I am doomed! I have had intercourse with my wife during Ramadan (daytime).”  The Prophet (SAW) replied, “Free a female slave.”  The man said, "I cannot afford it." The Prophet (SAW) then said, "Fast for two consecutive months." The man replied, "I am unable to do that." The Prophet (SAW) then said, "Feed sixty poor people." [HR. Al-Bukhari]

6. Smoking

In the book Agar Tak Hanya Lapar dan Dahaga: Panduan Puasa Ramadhan Sehat dan Berkah by Iqbal Syauqi Al-Ghifary, Sheikh Sulaiman from mazhab Shafi'i states smoking breaks the fast. This is mentioned in Hasyiyatul Jamal:

“Among the things that invalidate fasting is smoke, but there are distinctions. If it is the smoke that people deliberately inhale, such as tobacco, the fast is broken. However, if it is smoke from cooking or similar sources, it does not break the fast. This is the authoritative opinion.”

7. Murtad

If someone renounces Islam (murtad) while fasting, their fast is immediately invalidated. This is because faith in Allah is a fundamental requirement for fasting. This is affirmed in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:183):

يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُوْنَۙ 

If someone renounces Islam (murtad) while fasting, their fast is immediately invalidated. This is because faith in Allah is a fundamental requirement for fasting. This is affirmed in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:183):

Read more: Khatam Quran: The Path to the Glory of Ramadan

Thus, these are the seven things that can invalidate fasting during Ramadan. As Muslims, we should strive to maximize our worship during this holy month, as Allah SWT grants countless opportunities to earn great rewards during this time.

In addition to these seven factors, Mujazin emphasized that Muslims should also avoid behaviors that might diminish the reward of fasting.

“One should stay away from gossiping, using foul language, or engaging in quarrels to ensure that their fasting remains meaningful and fully rewarded,” Mujazin advised.

Writer: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva