The Water · Practices
Fasting (Siyam)
One month a year, from dawn to sunset, we go without, for God. The whole practice fits in five verses.
O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation.
[2:183]Fasting is one of the four practices God gave us. Every year, in the month of Ramadan, we go without food, drink and intercourse from dawn until sunset.
Everything we need to know is in five verses: 2:183 to 2:187. This page walks through them, then shows what a fasting day looks like, who is excused, and how to fast with the heart as well as the body.
On This Page
Four parts, and the questions people ask after each one.
Fasting in the Quran
God decreed fasting for us, as He did for people before us: “O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation.” [2:183]
The footnote in this translation to 2:183-187 says that, like all duties in Submission, fasting was decreed through Abraham. It adds that before the Quran, intercourse was forbidden for the whole fasting period. Then 2:187 changed that rule to allow it during the nights. The translation's heading over 2:183 is ‘Fasting Emphasized and Modified’.
Here are the five verses, in order.
The Five Verses on Fasting
The whole practice, in God's own words.
O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation.[2:183]
Fasting is decreed, as it was for those before us.
Specific days (are designated for fasting); if one is ill or traveling, an equal number of other days may be substituted. Those who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast. If one volunteers (more righteous works), it is better. But fasting is the best for you, if you only knew.[2:184]
Those who are ill or travelling make up the days later. Those who can fast only with great difficulty feed a poor person for each day.
Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book. Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein. Those who are ill or traveling may substitute the same number of other days. GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship, that you may fulfill your obligations, and to glorify GOD for guiding you, and to express your appreciation.[2:185]
Ramadan, the month the Quran was revealed. And God wants ease for us, not hardship.
When My servants ask you about Me, I am always near. I answer their prayers when they pray to Me. The people shall respond to Me and believe in Me, in order to be guided.[2:186]
In the middle of the fasting verses, God reminds us He is near.
Permitted for you is sexual intercourse with your wives during the nights of fasting. They are the keepers of your secrets, and you are the keepers of their secrets. GOD knew that you used to betray your souls, and He has redeemed you, and has pardoned you. Henceforth, you may have intercourse with them, seeking what GOD has permitted for you. You may eat and drink until the white thread of light becomes distinguishable from the dark thread of night at dawn. Then, you shall fast until sunset. Sexual intercourse is prohibited if you decide to retreat to the masjid (during the last ten days of Ramadan). These are GOD's laws; you shall not transgress them. GOD thus clarifies His revelations for the people, that they may attain salvation.[2:187]
The nights are ours. The fast runs from dawn to sunset.
The Month of the Quran
Why Ramadan? Because it is the month God sent down the Quran: “Ramadan is the month during which the Quran was revealed, providing guidance for the people, clear teachings, and the statute book.” [2:185]
God tells us of the night it came: “We revealed it in the Night of Destiny. How awesome is the Night of Destiny! The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand months.” [97:1-3]
So Ramadan is a good month to spend with the Quran. Reading it, a little every day, is one of the best ways to fill the time the fast frees up.
Questions About Fasting in the Quran
Who has to fast in Ramadan?
Every believer who is able to. God says: “Those of you who witness this month shall fast therein.” [2:185] The same verse, and the one before it, excuse those who are ill or travelling, and those who can fast only with great difficulty [2:184-185]. The questions about being excused, further down, say what each group does instead. Men and women fast alike. God names “the fasting men, the fasting women” among those for whom He has prepared “forgiveness and a great recompense” [33:35].
How do we know when Ramadan begins and ends?
By calculation. The new moon can be calculated, so it does not need to be seen with the eye. God tells us the sun and the moon are there for counting: “He rendered the sun and the moon to serve as calculation devices.” [6:96] And: “He designed its phases that you may learn to count the years and to calculate.” [10:5] So we calculate when the new moon is born. If it is born before sunset, the month begins at that sunset, and the first fast is the next day. If it is born after sunset, the month begins at the following sunset. A lunar month is about 29 and a half days, so some years Ramadan has 29 days of fasting and some years 30.
What is the Night of Destiny?
It is the night the Quran was revealed, in Ramadan. God says it is better than a thousand months. He describes it: “The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by their Lord's leave, to carry out every command. Peaceful it is until the advent of the dawn.” [97:4-5] The footnote in this translation to 97:1 dates it to the 27th night of Ramadan, 13 years before the Hijrah. The Quran does not tell us to do any special ritual on that night. As we read it, the best way to honour it is to spend time with the book that came down on it.
A Fasting Day
The fast runs from dawn to sunset. God sets both ends: “You may eat and drink until the white thread of light becomes distinguishable from the dark thread of night at dawn. Then, you shall fast until sunset.” [2:187]
During the day, we do not eat, drink, or have intercourse. At sunset, the fast ends, and the night is ours. God says: “Permitted for you is sexual intercourse with your wives during the nights of fasting.” [2:187]
The Quran asks for nothing more than that. Many other rules were added later, and they are not from God. The fast does not have to be broken with dates or salt: any lawful food or drink will do. It can be broken before or after the Sunset Prayer, because the fast and the prayer are two separate duties. And saliva is not food or drink, so swallowing it does not break the fast. If a rule is not in 2:183-187, it helps to ask where it came from.
One Fasting Day
A simple picture of one day of Ramadan, from the night before to the night after.
Diagram coming soon
A single day drawn as a line: the night meal before dawn, the first light of dawn when the fast begins, the daylight hours of fasting with the Noon and Afternoon Prayers, sunset when the fast ends, and the night.
Before dawn
Eat and drink. It helps to have a good meal before the first light.
Dawn
When the white thread of light can be told from the dark thread of night, the fast begins [2:187].
The day
No food, drink or intercourse. Life, work and prayer go on as usual.
Sunset
The fast ends. Break it with any lawful food or drink.
The night
Eating, drinking and intercourse are allowed until dawn [2:187].
How the Month Begins
The month follows the moon, which God made for counting [10:5]. The new moon is calculated, not sighted.
Diagram coming soon
Two small timelines. In the first, the new moon is born before sunset, so the month begins that evening and the first fast is the next morning. In the second, it is born after sunset, so the month begins at the following sunset.
New moon before sunset
The month begins at that sunset. The first fast is the next day.
New moon after sunset
The month begins at the next sunset. The first fast is one day later.
29 or 30 days
A lunar month is about 29 and a half days, so Ramadan has 29 or 30 days of fasting.
Questions About a Fasting Day
What breaks the fast?
Eating, drinking and intercourse during the daylight hours. That is what the Quran names. God says we may eat and drink “until the white thread of light becomes distinguishable from the dark thread of night at dawn. Then, you shall fast until sunset.” [2:187] And intercourse is permitted “during the nights of fasting” [2:187], not the days. Many other rules have been added over time. Swallowing our own saliva does not break the fast, because saliva is not food or drink. Neither does a skin cream. And, as we read it, brushing our teeth, taking a shower, swimming or an injection that is not food do not break it either, because none of them is eating or drinking. If we are unsure about a rule, it helps to ask where in the Quran it comes from.
What if we forget and eat something?
As we read it, the fast still counts. We stop as soon as we remember, and carry on fasting. God teaches us to pray: “Our Lord, do not condemn us if we forget or make mistakes.” [2:286] Eating by mistake is not the same as choosing to break the fast. Breaking the fast on purpose, without a reason God gives, is a different matter; we would make that day up.
Do we have to break the fast with dates, or before the Sunset Prayer?
No. We are free to begin and end the fast with any lawful food or drink. The Quran says only that the fast lasts “until sunset” [2:187]. It does not name a food to break it with. The prayer and the fast are separate duties. So we can break the fast before or after the Sunset Prayer, whichever suits us. What matters is that both are kept.
When We Cannot Fast
God does not want the fast to harm us. He says so in the middle of the fasting verses: “GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship, that you may fulfill your obligations” [2:185].
He gives two ways out, for two different situations.
If we are ill or travelling, we skip those days and fast the same number of days later: “if one is ill or traveling, an equal number of other days may be substituted.” [2:184]
If we can fast only with great difficulty, we feed a poor person instead, for each day: “Those who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast.” [2:184]
The same verse adds: “If one volunteers (more righteous works), it is better. But fasting is the best for you, if you only knew.” [2:184] So the fast is best for those who can keep it, and the relief is there for those who cannot.
Looking After Our Health
Practical suggestions, not medical advice. “GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship” [2:185].
Talk to a doctor first, if needed
If we are ill, pregnant, nursing, diabetic, on regular medication, or frail, it is wise to speak to a doctor before Ramadan begins. If the advice is not to fast, the relief in 2:184 covers this, as we read it.
Eat well before dawn
A meal with slow-release food and protein carries us through the day much better than sugar.
Drink through the night
Some of what feels like hunger is thirst. Drink steadily from sunset to dawn, not all at once.
Break the fast gently
Start with water and something light. A heavy meal straight after a long fast makes most people feel worse.
Cut down caffeine beforehand
Taper coffee and tea in the week before Ramadan, so the first days are not spent with a headache.
Stop if the body says so
Fainting, chest pain, severe dizziness or vomiting mean stop, eat, drink and get help. Make up the day later, or, if the condition will not improve, feed a poor person instead [2:184].
Questions About Being Excused
Who is excused from fasting, and what do they do instead?
People who are ill or travelling, and people who can fast only with great difficulty. The first group makes up the days later. The second feeds a poor person for each day. God says: “if one is ill or traveling, an equal number of other days may be substituted. Those who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast.” [2:184] As we read it, great difficulty covers people whose situation will not get better, such as long-term illness or old age. We also read the fast as not expected of children.
Can women fast during their monthly period?
Yes. The Quran does not forbid fasting, or prayer, during menstruation. The verse on menstruation is only about intercourse. God tells His messenger to answer: “It is harmful; you shall avoid sexual intercourse with the women during menstruation” [2:222]. It says nothing about fasting. The translation's Appendix 33 lists ‘Forbidding menstruating women from worshiping’ among the innovations that corrupted the religion. So a woman fasts on those days like any other, unless she is unwell. If she is, the relief for illness in 2:184 applies, as it does for anyone.
What about pregnancy, nursing or old age?
The Quran does not name them. As we read it, the same two reliefs cover them: if fasting would harm a mother, her baby, or an elderly person, they are excused. God says: “if one is ill or traveling, an equal number of other days may be substituted. Those who can fast, but with great difficulty, may substitute feeding one poor person for each day of breaking the fast.” [2:184] So a pregnant or nursing mother might make up the days later, when she can. An elderly person who will not be able to fast again might feed a poor person for each day instead. It is wise to decide this with a doctor. God tells us, in the fasting verses themselves: “GOD wishes for you convenience, not hardship” [2:185].
Fasting the Heart
Going without food is the easy part to see. The fast also gives us a chance to go without other things: harsh words, gossip, anger, and all the small habits we never notice.
The Quran does not list these as rules of the fast. But the month is a good time to work on them. God warns: “nor shall you backbite one another; this is as abominable as eating the flesh of your dead brother.” [49:12] And He praises those who are “suppressors of anger, and pardoners of the people.” [3:134]
And the time the fast frees up can be filled with the Quran, with remembering God, and with giving.
Fasting More Than Food
Ways to let the fast reach the rest of us. These are suggestions, not rules of the fast.
The tongue
A month without gossip or unkind words. It is harder than hunger, and it changes us more.
[49:12]
The temper
Hunger shortens our patience. The month is practice at holding anger back.
[3:134]
The eyes
Choosing what we look at, and what we look away from.
The phone
Setting aside the thing we reach for most, for part of the day.
The ego
Noticing how often we follow our own wants instead of God.
[25:43]
Filling the space
Reading the Quran and remembering God. The month is emptied so it can be filled.
[2:185]
A 30-Day Ramadan Plan
The same five parts each day: fifteen minutes in the morning, five in the evening.
A verse for the day
Read one verse in the morning and give it real attention. The thirty verses are listed below.
A question to carry
Take one question from that verse and let it follow you through the day.
Three thanks
Write three specific things you are thankful for. God says: “The more you thank Me, the more I give you.” [14:7]
One intention
Choose one small thing to work on today: one conversation, one kept temper, one kindness nobody sees.
An evening look back
After breaking the fast, take five minutes. What went well, what did not, and what to try tomorrow.
Download Your Ramadan Growth Plan
Print it before the month starts, so it is ready on day one.
The Thirty Verses
The month has a shape. Week one asks why we are fasting. Week two looks at what hunger shows us about ourselves. Week three turns outward, to other people. The last nine days are about carrying the month into the rest of the year.
Read each verse in full from the Quran. The reference and a question are given here.
WEEK ONE — WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS
Day 1 · [2:183] — What am I actually hoping this month does to me?
Day 2 · [51:56] — If this is what I exist for, how much of yesterday went on it?
Day 3 · [15:99] — Where am I still uncertain about God, and is my worship steady enough to bring me certainty?
Day 4 · [2:185] — Do I treat the Quran as guidance I consult, or as a book I own?
Day 5 · [39:3] — Is there anything I turn to before I turn to God?
Day 6 · [6:162] — If my life were read back to me, who would it look devoted to?
Day 7 · [2:186] — What have I stopped asking God for because I assumed the answer was no?
WEEK TWO — THE PERSON HUNGER REVEALS
Day 8 · [12:53] — What did I want today that I would not have said out loud?
Day 9 · [25:43] — Where am I obeying myself instead of God and calling it preference?
Day 10 · [3:134] — Who got the worst of my temper today, and could I have held it back?
Day 11 · [49:12] — What did I say about someone today that I would not have said in front of them?
Day 12 · [41:34] — Who is easiest for me to be unkind to, and what would the nicest possible response have looked like?
Day 13 · [2:153] — When today got hard, what did I reach for first?
Day 14 · [103:3] — Who am I helping to hold steady, and who is holding me?
WEEK THREE — TURNING OUTWARD
Day 15 · [2:177] — Which item in this verse is missing from my week?
Day 16 · [17:23] — When did I last speak to my parents the way this verse describes?
Day 17 · [2:215] — Do I know anyone on this list who is struggling, and have I actually asked?
Day 18 · [76:8] — What would it cost me to give away something I genuinely wanted?
Day 19 · [24:22] — Who have I been slow to treat with kindness and tolerance?
Day 20 · [4:135] — Where would being fair cost me or my family, and have I been fair anyway?
Day 21 · [5:8] — Which person do I let myself be unjust to because of our history?
LAST NINE DAYS — CARRYING IT OUT OF THE MONTH
Day 22 · [13:28] — When did I last feel my heart rejoice in remembering God, and what was I doing?
Day 23 · [14:7] — Which blessing do I use every day and have never once thanked God for?
Day 24 · [29:45] — Are my prayers changing my conduct, or has only my eating changed this month?
Day 25 · [2:286] — What have I been treating as impossible that is merely hard?
Day 26 · [41:30] — Is my righteousness a season or a direction?
Day 27 · [16:128] — Where have I felt God with me this month?
Day 28 · [3:200] — Steadfast, persevering, united: which of the three is weakest in me?
Day 29 · [2:281] — If this month had ended my life instead of my fast, what would I wish I had done with it?
Day 30 · [22:78] — Which single practice am I taking out of this month and keeping?
If the month runs to twenty-nine days, fold days 29 and 30 together and answer both questions on the last night. That last question is the one the whole plan is built towards — write the answer down somewhere you will find it in three months.
Questions About the Rest of the Month
Are there special prayers in Ramadan, like Tarawih?
No. The Quran gives us five daily Contact Prayers, and Ramadan does not add to them. The five prayers are given in 24:58, 11:114, 17:78 and 2:238. Extra prayers such as Tarawih were added to Ramadan later; they are not in the Quran. Neither is a special Eid prayer: Eid is a social celebration, not a religious duty. What Ramadan does invite is more time with the Quran, since it is “the month during which the Quran was revealed” [2:185]. And we can always remember God and pray to Him in our own words, as much as we like. He says: “I am always near. I answer their prayers when they pray to Me.” [2:186]
Does fasting outside Ramadan count for anything?
As we read it, yes. Voluntary fasting is good, though it does not replace Ramadan. God says that doing more righteous works than required is better: “If one volunteers (more righteous works), it is better.” [2:184] As we read it, a voluntary fast is one such work. The Quran also uses fasting to make up for certain wrongs. For example, someone who breaks an oath and cannot afford to feed or clothe ten poor people “shall fast three days” [5:89]. And the pilgrimage has its own fasting days for those who break Ihraam between 'Umrah and Hajj and cannot afford the animal sacrifice [2:196]. So fasting is a practice we can return to through the year, not only in Ramadan.
How do we keep the benefit after Ramadan ends?
By choosing one thing to keep, and keeping it. Trying to keep everything usually means keeping nothing. As we see it, the last day of Ramadan is a good time to decide. Pick one practice the month built: praying on time, reading the Quran each day, holding the tongue, or giving more. Write it down, and check in three months whether it is still there. The month is meant to change us: fasting is decreed “that you may attain salvation.” [2:183] And God reminds us what the month is for: “to glorify GOD for guiding you, and to express your appreciation.” [2:185]
Growth Prompt
Write this at the end of a fasting day, soon after sunset, while the day is still fresh.
What did today's hunger show me about myself that I would not have noticed on a full stomach?
Keep growing
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