How Do I Make Up for My Deliberately Broken Fasts?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

In the past I can recall breaking my Ramadan fast twice deliberately when I was in my teens, I am now 25. Once by masturbation and once by drinking water. I cannot remember if I had attained puberty or not because I used to masturbate but no fluid would emit (fluid emission did start later on) although an orgasm would result. 

However, I cannot recall what age I was or if there was fluid emission. That is during both instances I cannot recall my age.( I’m not sure if fluid emission during masturbation itself is a requirement of attaining puberty (and therefore obligation to fast))

What should I do now?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

The youngest possible age a male child can be legally considered mature (i.e. having reached puberty) is 12 years old. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al -Falah]

Thus if you are reasonably sure that the fasts were broken prior to the age of 12 you do not need to make them up.

However if your are not reasonably sure that this occurred before 12 years of age caution dictates that you should make up both fasts.

Breaking the Fast by Masturbation

The fast that you broke via masturbating must be made up only if you are reasonably sure that semen exited otherwise consider the fast valid.

If you are reasonably sure that semen exited you must make up the fast however no additional expiatory fasts are due. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al -Falah]

Remember masturbating is a major sin and necessitates repentance to Allah Most High. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Breaking the Fast by Deliberately Eating or Drinking

If you made intention to fast anytime before Fajr prayer entering and you ate or drank during fasting hours knowingly and intentionally (i.e. not mistakenly nor forgetfully) the fast must be made up and additional expiatory fasts are due. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al -Falah]

Expiatory Fasts (Kaffara)

The expiatory fast which is due in the above scenario is 60 consecutive fasts. The 60 days should be timed so that none of the below-mentioned 5 days in which fasting is prohibited lands within that time period. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar] 

The prohibited days of fasting are the 2 days of ‘Eid and the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhu al-Hijja. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al -Falah] 

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.