Does Masturbation Invalidate the Fast, and Is an Expiation (Kaffara) Required?
Answered by Shaykh Bassem Itani
Question
Does masturbation invalidate the fast, and is an expiation (kaffara) required?
Answer
Masturbation is purposefully ejaculating semen with the hand or by other means. It is prohibitively disliked to engage in it, and Allah (Most High) is liable to punish the person who does it.
Whoever masturbates while fasting, whether that fast is obligatory, a make-up fast, a vowed fast, or a voluntary one, has to make the fast up. Expiation is unnecessary for such a person. Expiation is fasting for two months consecutively or, if unable, feeding 60 poor people. Masturbation is an act of pleasure and a lesser form of desire.
The evidence for the act of masturbation being a fast-nullifying desire is what Imam Ahmad narrates in his Musnad, that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The scent of the fasting person is more beloved to Allah than the scent of musk. Your Lord has said, My slave has left his desire, food, and drink, seeking my good pleasure, and the fast is for Me, and I will reward it.”
The Hadith mentions three things that nullify the fast: succumbing to desire, food, and drink. Desire in the Hadith is general and encompasses both complete desire (al-shahwa al-kamila), which is sexual intercourse, and lesser desire, which is masturbation.
The former requires repentance, the fast to be made up, and an expiation. This is due to the severity of the act occurring in a month that is tremendous in the sight of Allah (Most High). The latter, masturbation, requires repentance and the fast to be made up because it is less severe than sexual intercourse.
Masturbation is considered an act that purposefully nullifies the fast. Whoever purposefully nullifies his fast has committed a major sin, violated the sanctity of the noble month, and exposed himself to the anger of Allah (Most High) and His punishment, thus necessitating true repentance and making up the fast.
To conclude, masturbation nullifies the fast, requiring repentance and the fast to be made up; however, no expiation is required. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
[Shaykh] Bassem Itani
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Dr. Bassem Hussayn Itani was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1965. He earned his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies in 2005. Among his mentors were Shaykh Muhammad Taha Sukkar, Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, Shaykh Mulla Abdul ‘Alim al-Zinki, Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, Shaykh Abdul Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bugha, Shaykh Dr. Wahba al-Zuhayli, Dr. Muhammad al-Zuhayli, and others, may Allah have mercy on them all.
Shaykh Itani has a rich background in both academic and administrative fields. He has held significant positions in many governmental and non-governmental institutions in Lebanon and abroad. This includes his role as a member of the Academic Committee at SeekersGuidance and a senior teacher with the free online global seminary.
From 2020 to 2021, he served as the Dean of the College of Da‘wa – University for Islamic Studies (Lebanon) – Postgraduate Studies. He was the Director of Dar Iqra for Islamic Sciences from 1998 to 2018. Shaykh Itani is a well-versed teacher in several academic subjects, including Fiqh, Usul, Aqida, and Tafsir. He has supervised and examined numerous Master’s and Doctoral theses at various universities and colleges in Lebanon.
His contributions to Islamic sciences are also evident in his writings and research. His notable works include “The Relied-upon Statements of Imam Zufar in the Hanafi School,” “Collective Ijtihad: The Sublimity of Thought in the 21st Century,” and “Custom and its Impact in Islamic Jurisprudence.” Shaykh Itani has actively participated in numerous scientific conferences and seminars, both in Lebanon and internationally. He is linguistically adept, excelling in Arabic, proficient in French, and comfortably conversant in English.
