What happens if I break my fast on purpose?
Question · One of the most asked questions about Ramadan
Last Ramadan I was really struggling one afternoon and I just ate something, even though I wasn't sick or travelling. I feel terrible about it now. What do I need to do?
Short answer
Breaking a Ramadan fast on purpose without a valid excuse is a serious sin: you must repent and make up that day. If it was by intercourse, kaffarah is also required.
Detailed answer
Deliberately breaking a Ramadan fast without a valid reason, such as illness or travel, is a serious sin. The person must sincerely repent to Allah and make up the day later. If the fast was broken by intercourse, an extra expiation called kaffarah is also due.
What the Quran and Sunnah say
Fasting Ramadan is an obligation for every adult Muslim who is able: "Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become mindful of Allah" (Al-Baqarah 2:183). The Quran allows the sick and travellers to break the fast and make it up later, which shows that without such an excuse the fast must be kept.
In a well-known hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, a man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying he was ruined because he had been intimate with his wife while fasting in Ramadan. The Prophet told him to make an expiation, which today means fasting 60 consecutive days or, if he cannot, feeding 60 poor people.
What you need to do
- Repent sincerely: feel regret, ask Allah's forgiveness and resolve not to do it again.
- Hold back for the rest of that day: the day is not "lost" so that you can eat freely. Out of respect for Ramadan, you refrain until sunset.
- Make up the day after Ramadan. See how to make up missed fasts.
- Kaffarah for intercourse: read what kaffarah is and intercourse while fasting.
What about eating or drinking on purpose?
Many scholars hold that deliberate eating or drinking requires repentance and one make-up day, without kaffarah. Some scholars hold that kaffarah is also due in that case; if you are unsure, ask a trusted local scholar.
A word of hope
Feeling bad about it is a sign of a living heart, and Allah loves those who turn back to Him. Make up the day, add some extra good deeds and charity if you can, and look ahead. If fasting is genuinely too hard for health reasons, talk to a doctor and remember that the Quran itself gives the sick a lighter path: "Allah intends ease for you, not hardship" (Al-Baqarah 2:185).
These answers give the general ruling based on the Quran, the Sunnah and the mainstream view of scholars. For a personal situation, ask a qualified scholar you trust.
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