Can I Practice Intermittent Fasting in the Eating Hours from Iftar till True Dawn?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I practice intermittent fasting for the health benefits and my general well-being. Each day, I eat only within a 4-5 hour period (from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm) and drink whenever I feel like it.
With the month of Ramadan fast approaching, I want to know if I can continue intermittently fasting during Ramadan. I would eat from the beginning of Maghrib until I went to bed, again drinking whenever I felt like it until Fajr.
Given my intentions, would my fast be valid if I also follow an intermittent fasting schedule in the meantime during Ramadan?
I would greatly appreciate it if you could kindly answer my question in detail.
Answer
I pray you are in good health and faith.
Yes, following your intermittent plan in the following manner is no problem: eating in the post-iftar hours till the pre-dawn meal (suhur) period.
As fasting takes place during the daylight houses from true dawn until sunset [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Sa’adat]
I pray this helps with your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.
He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.
He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.
He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.
