offer expiation?
~
I fast every Monday and Thursday, a voluntary fast.It so happened that
one night I ate sahoor, and I went to sleep without drinking anything.
One hour after Fajr I got up, and I was very thirsty so I drank
something, then I fasted until night. Please note that I know that I
missed Fajr by an hour. Is this fast valid or not? If it is not, then
do I have to offer expiation?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The fast is not valid, because the fast must be from dawn until
sunset, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"So now have sexual relations with them and seek that which Allaah has
ordained for you (offspring), and eat and drink until the white thread
(light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread
(darkness of night), then complete your Sawm (fast) till the
nightfall"
[al-Baqarah 2:187].
Based on this, you will nothave the reward for this day that you
fasted, because it was not in accordance with sharee'ah, but there is
no sin on you for that, because it is permissible for a person to
break a supererogatory fast. You do not have to offer expiation
either. Expiationis not required for any fast, even an obligatory one,
except if a person has intercourse with his wife during the day in
Ramadan and they are among those who are obliged to fast. In that case
the expiation is obligatory upon him and on her if she did it
willingly, and the expiation is to free a slave; if that is not
possible, then it is to fast two consecutive months; if you cannot
fast, then it is to feed sixty poor persons. But if the husband and
wife were not obliged to fast, such as if they were travelling during
Ramadan and he had intercourse with her, then there is no sin on him
or on her, because it is permissible for the traveller to break the
fast.But they have to make upthat day when they come back from their
journey. Even if we assume that they were fasting on that day but they
were travelling, it is permissiblefor them to break the fast and then
have intercourse, and there is no sin on them for that, and they do
not have to offer expiation; rather they have to make up that day on
which they broke the fast. End quote.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)
Fataawa Noor 'ala al-Darb.
--
- - - - - - -