What Should I Do If I Break My Fast Too Early?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

What is the ruling if I break fast mistakenly before sunset due to an erroneous reading of the clock?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

If you mistakenly broke your fast before the entrance of Maghrib time, then you would need to perform a makeup (qada’).

There would be no expiation (kaffara) due in such a case because you made a reasonable assumption based on the signs around you, yet you were mistaken.

Generally, however, we strive to confirm timings and the like to ensure that we don’t involuntarily vitiate our fasts.

[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah with Tahtawi’s Gloss]

Please also see: The Complete Guide to Fasting and: When Is Expiation Required For A Fast?

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.