The 20 Madanī Pearls: The Jurisprudence of Intention

9. During the day of Ramadan, if somebody neither intended to fast nor intended to miss it, despite knowing that it is the holy month of Ramadan, his fast will not be valid. (Fatāwā ‘Ālamgīrī, pp. 195, vol. 1)
   

10. If someone made the intention any time at night after the sunset, then he ate something within the night, his intention will still remain valid. There is no need to make a new one. (Al-Jauhara-tun-Nayyarah, pp. 175, vol. 1)

11. During the night, if someone made the intention to fast but afterwards firmly decided not to fast within the same night, this will invalidate the first intention. If the intention [for fast] is not renewed, his fast will not be valid even if he spends the whole day without eating or drinking like a fasting person. (Durr-e-Mukhtār ma’ Rad-dul-Muḥtār, pp. 345, vol. 3)

12. As the mere intention of talking during Ṣalāh does not invalidate the Ṣalāh unless one talks, likewise, only intending to break fast during fasting will not invalidate it. The fast will only become invalid when one physically does the act that invalidates it. (Al-Jauhara-tun-Nayyarah, pp. 175, vol. 1) In other words, even if a person intends to break his fast, it will not become invalid unless he eats, drinks or does any other such act that invalidates it.

13.  Eating Saḥarī is equivalent to making the intention regardless of whether it is the fast of Ramadan or any other fast. However, if one intends not to fast that day whilst eating Saḥarī, this Saḥarī will not be considered his intention.

14.  It is necessary to make a new intention every day for each fast of Ramadan. If one makes the intention for the whole of Ramadan just once on the first day of the month or any other day, it will be regarded as the intention for that (one) day only, not for the rest of the days.

15.  Except for the fast of Ramadan, that of specified vow (Nażr-e-Mu’ayyan) and Nafl fasts, the intention for all other fasts must be made during the night or at the precise time of dawn. Such fasts include Qaḍā fasts of Ramadan, fasts for unspecified vow (Nażr-e-Ghair Mu’ayyan), Qaḍā of Nafl fasts (i.e. the Qaḍā of the Nafl fast that was broken), Qaḍā of fasts for specified vow, fasts for expiation and Hajj-e-Tamattu’. It is also necessary to specify the type of fast when making the intention. If one makes the intention for any of these fasts on the morning (from dawn till before the midday beings) it will turn into a Nafl fast (and not the one intended), but this Nafl fast must still be completed. If he breaks it, making up for it (by fasting another day) will be Wājib even if he is aware that this is not the fast he had intended but a Nafl one.

16.  Somebody fasts assuming that he has to make up for a missed fast but then he realises that his assumption was wrong. If he breaks his fast instantly in this case, though there is no harm, it is still preferable to complete it. If he does not break the fast immediately, he will have to complete it, breaking it now will not be permissible. If he breaks this fast, making up for it will be Wājib.

There are three types of Hajj: 1. Qirān 2. Tamattu’ 3. Ifrād. It is Wājib for the one performing Qirān or Tamattu’ Hajj to make the ritual sacrifice of the animal after performing Hajj as gratification. As for those who perform Ifrād Hajj it is Mustaḥab. If those performing either of the first two types of Hajj (Qirān or Tamattu’) are extremely Miskin and destitute and cannot afford to sacrifice an animal even by selling their possessions nor do they have money to fulfill this rite, fast for ten days will be Wājib for them as a substitute for the animal sacrifice. Three fasts in the months of Hajj anytime in between 1st Shawwāl-ul-Mukarram to 9th Żul-Ḥijjah after wearing the Iḥrām, preferably on the 7th, 8th and 9th of Żul-Ḥijjah. It is not necessary to observe these fasts consecutively, and the other 7 fasts can be observed any time after 13th Żul-Ḥijjah, preferably after reaching home.

17.  After the dawn, the intention for a Qaḍā fast made during the night cannot be changed into the intention of a Nafl fast.

18.  Making the intention of fast whilst offering Ṣalāh is also valid.

19.  If one has missed several fasts, the intention to make up for them should include the words: ‘The first fast of Ramadan I missed’ – ‘The second fast of Ramadan I missed’ and so on. If he has missed some in the present year and some in the previous year then he should intend in these words: ‘The Qaḍā of this Ramadan’ – ‘The Qaḍā of that Ramadan.’ Even if he does not specify the day he missed, the fast will still be valid.

20.  Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ forbid if one breaks a fast of Ramadan deliberately, it will become Farḍ not only to keep a fast as its Qaḍā but also to fast for 60 days as expiation (provided the conditions of expiation are met). If he fasts for 61 days without specifying the day of Qaḍā fast, then both the Qaḍā and expiation fasts will be valid.

Girl with beard If you want to have a passion for learning the intentions for fasting and other deeds, please travel with the devotees of Rasūl in the Madanī Qāfilahs of Dawat-e-Islami, a global & non-political religious movement of the Quran and Sunnah and earn the blessings in the world as well as in the Hereafter. In order to persuade you, I present a blessing which took place in a Madanī Qāfilah. An Islamic brother of Ranchor Line Bāb-ul-Madīnah (Karachi) gave the following account: In our three day Madanī Qāfilah, there was a 26 year old Islamic brother who made a lot of supplications with great humility. When asked about it, he replied that he had a daughter whose face hair was growing like a beard, which was the reason of his anxiety.

He further said that the cause of the problem could not be diagnosed despite X-Rays and test and no medicine proved effective as yet. The participants of the Qāfilah supplicated for his daughter on his request. Two days after the Madanī Qāfilah, when I met the same dejected Islamic brother, he happily informed me that the hair of his daughter’s face had disappeared altogether as if there was no hair at all due to the blessing of the Madanī Qāfilah, اَلْحَمْدُلِلّٰہ عَزَّوَجَلَّ.