Roza (Fasting) - Rules Made Simple
Fasting Ramadan - abstaining from food, drink and marital relations from true dawn to sunset with intention - is the fourth pillar of Islam, prescribed for taqwa.
Also searched as: roza ke masail | fasting rules islam | what breaks fast | roza kin cheezon se tootata hai
How to
Steps in order
- 1Make the intention of fasting at night.
- 2Eat sehri and stop at true dawn (Fajr adhan).
- 3Guard the tongue, eyes and limbs all day - fasting is worship of the whole body.
- 4Open the fast at sunset with dates and water, saying the iftar dua.
The fast itself
Make intention at night (or before midday for voluntary fasts), take sehri before dawn, and open at sunset - hastening iftar and delaying sehri are both sunnah.
Eating, drinking, marital relations and deliberate vomiting break the fast and need makeup (qada); deliberate intercourse additionally needs expiation (kaffarah). Forgetful eating does not break it.
Who is excused
The sick, travelers, pregnant and nursing women fearing harm, the elderly unable to fast, and menstruating women skip fasting - most make it up later, while the chronically unable feed a poor person per day (fidyah).
Laylatul Qadr in the last ten nights outweighs a thousand months - seek it in worship, especially the odd nights.
Sources & review
Quran 2:183-185; Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
Learn personal details from a qualified teacher; minor school differences exist.
Educational content — not a fatwa. See methodology and disclaimer.
Reviewed • 2026-01-01Our methodology
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does an injection or eye drops break the fast?
Most contemporary scholars say non-nutritional injections and drops do not break it; nutritional IVs do - consult scholars for medical cases.
What is fidyah and kaffarah?
Fidyah feeds one poor person per missed fast for the chronically unable; kaffarah for deliberate intercourse is freeing a slave, else fasting 60 consecutive days, else feeding 60 poor.
When is Laylatul Qadr?
In the last ten nights of Ramadan, most hoped on the odd nights - worship, dua and the Allahumma innaka afuwwun supplication.
Duas
Related duas
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