What breaks the fast

Intercourse during the day

All the scholars agree that whoever has intercourse during a day of Ramadan, deliberately, while resident, has disobeyed Allah and His messenger, and that the major expiation falls upon him: freeing a slave, or fasting two consecutive months, or feeding sixty poor persons. The basis is Allah's word: "...it is made lawful for you, on the night of the fast, to go in to your wives... then complete the fast till the night" (al-Baqara 187), and the account of Abu Hurayra: a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: "I am ruined: I had intercourse with my wife while fasting" (the details and the order of the expiations are set out in the page on the kaffara).

If dawn surprises the spouses in the midst of intercourse: for the Hanafis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis (the choice of Ibn Taymiyya), if he withdraws immediately his fast is valid, based on Ibn Umar: when the call to prayer was made while a man was with his wife, that did not prevent him from fasting: he would rise, wash and complete his fast (reported by al-Bayhaqi, its chain sahih according to an-Nawawi). The Malikis invalidate his fast and impose the make-up alone. A Hanbali narration imposes the make-up and the expiation even with immediate withdrawal. Whoever continues the intercourse after dawn: the Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis impose the expiation upon him.

Ejaculation

The four schools deem masturbation by the hand forbidden; it only breaks the fast if it ends in ejaculation, without divergence, and the make-up becomes obligatory. The expiation: the Malikis require it, the majority (Hanafis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis) do not. Whoever ejaculates through caressing short of intercourse: the fast is broken and the make-up obligatory by agreement; the expiation: Abu Hanifa, al-Shafi'i and one narration of Ahmad do not require it; Malik and another narration of Ahmad require it. Mere thoughts leading to ejaculation: the majority (Hanafis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis) hold the fast valid, on the Prophet's word (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Allah has overlooked my community for what their souls whisper, so long as they do not act or speak" (al-Bukhari 4968); Malik and a narration of Ahmad impose the expiation for it.

Introducing liquid into the body

The rectal enema: the majority (Hanafis, Malikis per the famous view, Shafi'is, Hanbalis) judge that liquid introduced this way breaks the fast and requires the make-up: it reaches the body's cavity through an open passage, and Ibn Abbas said: "What breaks the fast is what enters, not what exits". The solid introduced the same way: the Shafi'is and Hanbalis break it; the Hanafis only if it disappears entirely, and anything wet with water or grease also breaks it. Insertion into the vagina (pessary): the Hanafis (the soundest view) and the Malikis deem it breaking.

In treating a wound of the head or belly: if the medicine reaches the stomach or the brain, the majority (Hanafis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis) requires the make-up, for the remedy reaches the body's cavity by choice; an-Nawawi says so for liquid and dry medicine alike. The Malikis and Ibn Taymiyya hold that treating a wound does not break the fast. As for dry medicine whose reaching the stomach is unknown: Abu Hanifa's companions do not break on mere doubt; dry medicine reaching neither stomach nor brain does not break by agreement.

Vomiting

Whoever is overcome by vomiting owes no make-up; whoever makes himself vomit deliberately must make up.Abu Dawud 2380, at-Tirmidhi 716, Ibn Majah 1676

Ibn al-Mundhir reports the scholars' agreement: nothing is due from one overcome by vomiting. One who vomits deliberately: agreement of the scholars on invalidity (Ibn al-Mundhir); Abu Hanifa only breaks with a mouthful, and several narrations exist from Ahmad.

Menstruation and lochias

The fuqaha agree: if the blood comes, even at the last instant of the day, the fast is broken and the day must be made up. The four imams also agree: blood stopped before dawn together with a night intention: the fast is valid, even if the woman delays the major ablution until morning or sunrise, provided she took the night intention.

Mistakes about the time

Eating believing the sun has set, or continuing to eat believing dawn has not risen: the four imams impose the make-up, for he ate mindful of the fast but mistaken about the hour. Asma bint Abi Bakr said: "We broke the fast in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on an overcast day, then the sun rose." She was asked whether it had to be made up and answered: "The make-up is inevitable" (al-Bukhari 1959). Umar broke a fast on an overcast day believing evening had come; when told the sun had risen he said: "The matter is light: we shall make up a day" (al-Muwatta 670); Malik and al-Shafi'i understand it as: making up a day in its place.

Eating while doubting whether dawn has risen: the majority (Hanafis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis) impose nothing: eating, drinking and intercourse are allowed until dawn is certain, on the verse "...eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread of the dawn" (al-Baqara 187) and Ibn Abbas's word: "Eat so long as you doubt, until it becomes clear to you" (sahih chain according to an-Nawawi). Likewise, if the dawn call surprises a man with his hand at his mouth or the vessel at his lips: he stops and spits out; the hadith allowing him to finish refers to Bilal's first call.

Practical note

These rules show that the fast is broken by what reaches the body by choice and through a known passage. The divergence bears mainly on the expiation and on edge cases; in a real situation, asking a qualified scholar avoids improvising.