Does Engaging in Oral Sex During Ramadan Invalidate the Fast and Require Kaffara?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Does engaging in oral sex during Ramadan invalidate the fast and require kaffara?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful

Engaging in oral sex during Ramadan is unlawful and breaks the fast. According to the Shafi‘i School, any substance entering the body cavity through an open orifice, such as the mouth, invalidates the fast. This includes any form of sexual activity that leads to ejaculation or the substance entering the body.

Allah (Most High) says, “And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread of night…” [Quran 2:187]

This verse refers to the times and limits for eating and drinking, but also highlights the broader principle that the body should be kept free of nourishment and sexual activity during fasting hours.

Regarding the question of kaffara (expiation), in the Shafi‘i School, expiation (kaffara) is required only for vaginal intercourse during fasting, which involves penetration and ejaculation. Engaging in oral sex would invalidate the fast, but it does not require kaffara according to the Shafi‘i position. [Nawawi, Majmu‘]

It is important for the believer to be mindful of the sanctity of the fast and refrain from anything that would break it, including acts like this. If such an act happens, one should make sincere repentance and, in the case of a broken fast, make up the missed day of fasting.

Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town. He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.