What’s the Ruling for Eating After Dawn in Ramadan by Mistake?
Answered by Shaykh Bassem Itani
Question
What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks after dawn in Ramadan, thinking that dawn has not yet arrived?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, his Family, and all his Companions.
Anyone who eats or drinks after dawn in Ramadan, believing that dawn has not yet come, invalidates their fast. They must refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day and make up for it later. There is no expiation required for them. The fast is invalidated because they ate or drank at a time when it is obligatory to abstain from food and drink. It is required to maintain this abstention from dawn until sunset. However, their fast is invalidated even though they believed that dawn had not yet come.
The jurists (Allah have mercy on them) have analogized this issue to the issue of someone who eats or drinks before sunset in Ramadan, thinking it is sunset because both cases are similar. The evidence for this is that the Companions broke their fast on a cloudy day during the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and give him peace) time, and then the sun appeared, so they were commanded to make up for that day. [Bukhari]
Abstaing for the Rest of the Day
It is obligatory for them to refrain from eating and drinking for the remainder of the day because if they eat or drink without an excuse, people may accuse them of sin, and it is obligatory to avoid situations where one might be accused. [‘Ayni, al-Binaya Sharh al-Hidaya]
A hadith narrated by Safiyya bint Huyay says: The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was in I‘tikaf (Spiritual Retreat), so I came to visit him at night. After speaking with him, I got up to leave, and he got up with me to see me out. His dwelling was in the house of Usama Ibn Zayd. As we were walking, two men from the Ansar passed by and, upon seeing the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), hastened their pace. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “On your way; she is Safiyya bint Huyay.” They said, “SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah), O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Indeed, Satan flows through the human being like blood, and I feared that he might throw something evil or harmful into your hearts.” [Bukhari]
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) preempted any doubt or suspicion from Satan toward them by informing them that the woman with him was his wife, Safiyya (Allah be pleased with her).
This was a teaching from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) to the umma to keep a Muslim away from any accusation. Therefore, believers should not put themselves in a position to be accused nor follow paths that could lead to accusation.
No Expiation
And because he thought that dawn had not yet come, and it turned out contrary to what he thought, he should have verified it, so his situation is like that of a mistake. And for one in such a situation, there is neither expiation nor sin upon him. Allah (Most High) says,
“There is no blame on you for what you do by mistake.” [Quran, 33:5]
This issue might be less common in our era because nowadays, when people have their pre-dawn meal at the end of the night, they abstain from food and drink from dawn and break their fast at sunset by following the prayer times for each country, which are determined by the departments of religious affairs or certified Islamic centers through watches, mobile phones, computers, or other means. And if we assume a mistake occurred due to a malfunction in the watch, like the time lagging on the watch or assuming that dawn is at five ten, and in reality, dawn is at five or similar situations by mistake, the ruling remains the same as in the previous issue that one must refrain for the remainder of the day, and there is a requirement to make up the fast, but no expiation or sin is upon him.
Lastly, a Muslim must verify the times for eating and drinking at sunset and dawn to avoid mistakes that invalidate the fast.
And Allah is the Guide to the right path.
[Shaykh] Bassem Itani.
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.
