Fasting has two fards.

1. The niyyah. The niyyah must be made every night before fasting starts, i.e. before subuh saadiq. The shortest niyyah is to say:

Translation: I make niyyah for the fast of Ramadaan.

If the niyyah is expressed shorter than this, the fast is incorrect. The complete niyyah is as follows:

When a person had forgotten to make the niyyah the previous night up to 'Subuh the fast of that day is not valid, but for the honour of the month and its sanctity, he must refrain from eating and drinking for that day. He should repeat this day's fast after Ramadaan.

2. Abstention. The second fardh of fasting is abstention from food, drink and sex. By this is meant that from 'Subuh until Maghrib nothing should be eaten or drunk and nothing should enter the body through any opening (nose, ear, anus). Everything which nullifies fasting should be avoided, such as sexual intercourse, deliberate taking out of maniy (sperm) through manipulating sexual organs, or even deliberate vomiting.

If during the day of Ramadaan a person purposely and deliberately eats or drinks anything, or puts anything into the body through the nose, ears, or anus, or purposely causes his mani to flow or purposely causes himself to vomit, his fast is broken, which means that he has sinned and must repeat the fasting of that day after Ramadaan.

In case anybody accidentally vomits in such a manner that none of the digested food or slime is swallowed, the fast is not broken. Similarly, if a person has an accidental ejaculation of mani through a wet dream or illness, the fast does not break.

The fast is not broken if any of the following should happen:

1. When a person accidentally or unmindfully ate or drank anything, irrespective of the amount.

2. When one unmindfully applied surma, sifatmata (a powder used to clear the eyes); which causes the slime in his throat to become blackened.

3. When one applies oil to his hair which then becomes absorbed into the skin through the hair roots or sweat-pores.

4. When one smells or tastes anything and then spits it out immediately even if something of the taste remains in the throat or mouth.

5. When any smoke, dust or vapour in the air enters the body through the nose or mouth.

6. When a fly or mosquito accidentally flies into one's mouth.

7. When one accidentally swallows something which for some reason or other was kept in the mouth.

8. When some wudhu water accidentally goes down as a result of coughing or sneezing.

If any phlegm comes down from the head or comes up from the chest and could easily he removed by clearing the throat, then it is necessary to remove such phlegm. In such a case if the phlegm is not removed, but swallowed the fast will be broken and anulled. On the other hand, if one is not able to remove the phlegm by clearing the throat and it goes down into the stomach the fast will still be valid.

Swallowing the saliva in the mouth does not break the fast, even if it be much, and even if the tongue had been stuck out.

But when anything had become mixed with the saliva as in the case of it becoming coloured with something that may have been stuck between the teeth, or with blood, the fast becomes baa'til if that saliva is swallowed. In such cases the mouth must first be washed or rinsed out before the saliva may again be swallowed.

If a person performing ghusl or wudhu during fasting, rinses the nose and mouth without gargling, and in such a case some water accidentally goes down, the fast is not broken. However, if while performing ghusl or wudhu he draws water up into the nostrils or gargles, and water then goes down accidentally, the fast breaks. Note that drawing the water up into the nose and gargling, although being sunnahs of wudhu, are both makrooh during fasting. Similarly, the fast breaks if he swallows water when he rinses his mouth with so much water that water is forced down the throat; and also if he swallows water when he takes a bath merely to cool off or freshen up or intentionally dives into water. Diving into water during fasting is also makrooh.

Note: It is haraam for a woman in haydh and nifaas to fast. The qadhaa of days that are lost will have to be duly fulfilled after Ramadaan. The salaah that is lost during the period of haydh and nifaas need not be repeated as qadhaa afterwards.

BREAKING THE FAST AND SEHRI (SOWER TIME)

It is sunnah to break the fast immediately after the sun had set. If the sky was overcast and a person broke the fast accordingly to the time on his watch or if he had estimated that if'taar (boeka) had begun, and broke the fast, only to discover afterwards that he had done so before the sun set, the fast of that day will have to be repeated. In the case where it is not established that he had broken the fast before the time, or when he is uncertain of the moment when he broke his fast, the fast is taken to be correct.

Similar is the case at the time of starting the fast. If he ate before 'Sub-h believing that there was time left and later discovers that he had continued eating after 'Subuh 'Saadiq was already in, he will have to repeat that day.

It is sunnah to eat at sehri time (sower time) for every day of the fast. This must be done as near as possible to the time of Subuh. It should not however be delayed so much that any doubt remains about the validity of the fast.

A person who fasts during Ramadaan, and is not sick nor on a journey, will break their fast by indulging in sexual intercourse even if no sperm was ejaculated. Such a person is a great sinner. Such a person has to perform the fast of that day after Ramadaan, and apart from that, will have to atone for it by way of Kaffarah.

The Kaffarah does not become necessary in the following cases:

When one forgot that one was fasting and then indulged in intercourse.

2. When a musaafir or genuinely sick person has intercourse whilst fasting.

3. When he indulges in sex during a Qadhaa fast.

4. When the fast was a sunnah fast, and one had an intercourse.

When the fast was a result of an oath (nahr) and one had an intercourse.

6. When one had sex at such a time thinking that the sun had already set, whereas the sun was still shining.

7. When after eating accidentally one thought that his fast is broken and then had intercourse.

In the case of sex indulgence Kaffarah is only compulsory upon the male and not the female. If on one day a man has indulged in sex more than one time, only one Kaffarah is required.

Kaffarah means an atonement for an evil deed committed. It is a form of compensation for sins committed. The shariah's verdict is that if a person is able he must buy a slave and set him free, or if he is a slave owner one of his slaves must be set free.

If he is not able, he has to fast for two months consecutively without a break in-between, and if he breaks the sequence with even one day the Kaffarah is null and void. He will then have to start anew.

Whereas if he has not the strength for that, he will have to feed sixty poor people, each one receiving about 800 grams of grain (148 lb.) or 800 grams of flour (in South Africa).

Fasting is not compulsory upon those who are sick. Hence if a person becomes sick, he is allowed to break his fast and he must repeat the fast when he recovers after Ramadaan. When a person undertakes a permissible journey (i.e. a journey not for evil, sinful purposes) which is for more than eighty kilometres, it is not necessary for him to fast while on this journey. If he does fast he is allowed to break that fast, and even though one is able to fast he still is permitted to break his fast when he is a musaafir. It is however better to fast in such a case. If he does not, he will have to make Qadhaa. If he was fasting on the day he commenced his journey, he must not break that fast because he subsequently became a musaafir. On the other hand, in the case of illness, he may break his fast.

When a person finds extreme difficulty in fasting through old age and weakness, he becomes exempted from fasting. For every day of the month he must give out fidyah, which is food to the poor. This should preferably be 800 g (1¾ lb.) of grain or flour from the staple food of the locality.

When a person, on whom a certain number of days fast had been compulsory through becoming Qadhaa, did not perform such fasts until the next Ramadaan came, he is still obliged to fast, and together with it, he will have to give in charity a fidya as well. This will mean the same fidya as above for every day.