Who Is Obligated to Fast?
على من يجب الصيام؟
Fasting is obligatory for a Muslim who is accountable, of age and sane, to perform the obligatory acts of worship, and who is able to fast; he has no reasons that prevent him from fasting.
يكون الصيام واجبا على المسلم، المكلف القادر على الصيام، الخالي من الأعذار.
1. Fasting Is Prescribed for You | كتب عليكم الصيام
O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was for those before you, so perhaps you will become mindful of Allah (2:183). Ibn Kathir explains that Allah addresses the believers of this community and commands them to fast, and tells them that as He made it binding on them, He made it binding on those before them; so they have an example in them, and should strive to perform this duty more completely than those before them did.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ (سورة البقرة: 183)
قال تعالى: (يا أيها الذين آمنوا كتب عليكم الصيام كما كتب على الذين من قبلكم لعلكم تتقون) (البقرة 2: 183)، قال ابن كثير: يقول تعالى مخاطبا للمؤمنين من هذه الأمة وآمرا لهم بالصيام، وذكر أنه كما أوجبه عليهم فقد أوجبه على من كان قبلهم، فلهم فيه أسوة، وليجتهد هؤلاء في أداء هذا الفرض أكمل مما فعله أولئك.
2. Whoever Is Present This Month | فمن شهد منكم الشهر فليصمه
So whoever is present this month, let them fast (2:185). Ibn Kathir explains that this is a binding duty on whoever is present when the month begins, that is, resident in the land and healthy in body: he must fast. This is the scholar’s condition, able to fast and free of excuses; the excuses themselves are explained in the excuses for breaking the fast.
فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ (سورة البقرة: 185)
قال تعالى: (فمن شهد منكم الشهر فليصمه) (البقرة 2: 185)، قال ابن كثير: هذا إيجاب حتم على من شهد استهلال الشهر أي كان مقيما في البلد حين دخل شهر رمضان، وهو صحيح في بدنه أن يصوم لا محالة.
3. The Fast of Ramadan | وصيام رمضان
A man from Najd asked the Prophet about Islam; among what he was told was: and the fast of Ramadan. He asked: Is anything else due from me? The Prophet said: No, unless you do it voluntarily (Sahih al-Bukhari 46). The fast every Muslim owes each year is Ramadan; the other kinds are explained in the types of fasting.
جاء رجل إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من أهل نجد يسأل عن الإسلام، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "وصيام رمضان"، قال: هل علي غيره؟ قال: "لا، إلا أن تطوع" (صحيح البخاري 46).
4. The Pen Is Lifted From Three | رفع القلم عن ثلاثة
The scholar’s word for the one obliged, mukallaf, is the one who is accountable. The Prophet said: The pen is lifted from three: from the sleeper until he wakes, from the child until he reaches puberty, and from the insane until he regains his reason (Sunan Abi Dawud 4403, graded sahih by al-Albani). So the child and the insane are not obliged to fast.
قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: "رفع القلم عن ثلاثة: عن النائم حتى يستيقظ، وعن الصبي حتى يحتلم، وعن المجنون حتى يعقل" (سنن أبي داود 4403، وصححه الألباني).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Who is obligated to fast?
A Muslim who is accountable, of age and sane, and able to fast, with nothing that excuses him from fasting.
Are children required to fast?
No. The pen is lifted from the child until he reaches puberty (Sunan Abi Dawud 4403, graded sahih by al-Albani), though the Companions trained their children to fast (Sahih al-Bukhari 1960).
Which fast does every Muslim owe each year?
The fast of Ramadan: So whoever is present this month, let them fast (2:185).
Why was fasting prescribed?
So perhaps you will become mindful of Allah (2:183).