Question 34: Assalamu Alaikum, what is the ruling for some who intentionally (e.g.for getting better grade) break the fast for few days during final exams such as honors or masters exams? How can he fill this up? Zazak Allahu Khairan.

Answer:  Walaikumussalam Brother,

If someone is sick or travelling then of course allowed to break their fast and thus must do Qada to make up for the fast that was missed due to an acceptable reason.

But if someone missed a fast for a reason that is not acceptable according to what Allah informed us, then all scholars agreed that it is a major sin leaving a pillar of Islam and requires a proper Tawbah big, remorseful and sincere enough to make up for the big sin. Some scholars said that the person still has to do Qada to make up for the fast missed whereas other scholars said that the fast was not missed but it was left deliberately without a reason allowed by Allah and hence no Qada will ever make up for it nor has it been mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, rather that person ought to sincerely & remorsefully do tawbah and part of tawbah is to do good actions that try to overcome the degree of the enormity of the bad deed committed.

Please everyone remember that if a person has exams in fasting Ramadan days, they can try to manage their time such that they study in non fasting time and rest during fasting time. Also doing suhur makes the fast very easy especially now in Australia with a less than 12 hour fast! Also a person may miss Taraweeh to study for exams as it is not fard (obligatory) instead of missing a Ramadan fast which is one of the most obligatory of duties upon a Muslim (for their own welfare!!). Is it better to fast and expect more and better help from Allah for exams or to give up the absolutely compulsory fast of that day knowing that Allah does not like sin or help a sinful person – even if he gets “success” of one sort, the benefit of that “success” may well be absent from their acquirement from that “success”!!

Allah knows best.