1696. There are some cases wherein only the qaÃÁ of the fast is obligatory, and not the kaffÁrah. These are:
1. A person enters the state of janÁbah during a night of the month of Ramadan, and according to the details which were elaborated in article 1638, fails to wake up from his second or third sleep until the fajr adhÁn.
2. A person does not commit any act that invalidates his fast, however he either fails to make the intention to fast, or is ostentatious in his intention, or actually intends it not to be a fast, or intends to commit an act which invalidates the fast.
3. A person forgets to perform the ghusl of janÁbah during the month of Ramadan, and in that state observes a fast for one day, or for a few days.
4. A person, without investigating personally whether it has dawned or not, commits an act which invalidates his fast, only to realize later on that it had in fact dawned. Similarly, if a person after investigating speculates that it has dawned, or doubts whether it has dawned or not, and then commits an act which invalidates his fast, only to realize later on that it had dawned, the qaÃÁ of that day’s fast will be obligatory on him.
5. Another person informs him that it has not dawned, and the subject commits an act which invalidates his fast, realizing later on that it had already dawned.
6. Another person states that it has dawned, and a person does not attain certainty in his statement, or thinks that he is joking, and commits an act that invalidates his fast, only to realize later on that it had already dawned.
7. A blind person, or persons similar to him, breaks his fast at the word of another person, but later realizes that it was not the time of maghrib.
8. Despite clear skies, a person attains certainty that time of maghrib has set in owing to the darkness in the sky, and breaks his fast only to realize later on that the time of maghrib had not yet set in. However, if a person breaks his fast on a cloudy evening, thinking that it is the time of maghrib, but later realizes that it was not, he will not have to fast its qaÃÁ.
9. A person rinses his mouth with the intention of cooling himself, or for no good reason, and ends up swallowing the water involuntarily. However, if he had forgotten that he was fasting, and swallows the water, or rinses his mouth for the wuÃÙ of an obligatory prayer, and swallows it involuntarily, then the qaÃÁ of that fast will not be obligatory on him.
10. A person breaks his fast owing to duress, an emergency, or taqiyyah (dissimulation).
1697. If a person puts something other than water in his mouth or nose, and then swallows it involuntarily, no qaÃÁ will be obligatory on him.
1698. It is makrÙh for a person who is fasting to do istinshÁq or maÃmaÃah frequently. If a person wishes to swallow his saliva after doing maÃmaÃah, it is better that he first spit out his saliva three times.
1699. If a person knows that should he perform maÃmaÃah or istinshÁq, water will enter his throat, be it involuntarily or out of forgetfulness, then such a person must avoid doing maÃmaÃah and istinshÁq.
1001. It is obligatory for a man to recite sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah and the second sÙrah in the fajr, maghrib and ‘ishÁ prayers aloud, while it is obligatory on both men and women to recite sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah and the second sÙrah in the Ûuhr and ‘aÒr prayers in a low voice.
1700. If a person in Ramadan attains certainty after investigating that it has not dawned, and commits an act that invalidates his fast, only to realize later on that it had already dawned, he will not have to fast its qaÃÁ.
1002. A man should ensure that all the words of sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah and the second sÙrah are recited aloud, including their final letters.
1003. A woman may recite sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah and the second sÙrah in the fajr, maghrib and ‘ishÁ prayers aloud or in a low voice. However, obligatory precaution dictates that if a non-maÎram hears her voice, she should recite in a low voice. In the event that the recitation of a woman is deemed forbidden—for example, when a non-maÎram hears her reciting in a delicate and complaisant voice—it is not permissible for her to recite aloud. If she does, her prayer is invalid.
1701. If a person doubts whether the time for maghrib has set in or not, he cannot break his fast. However, if he doubts whether it has dawned or not, he may commit an act which invalidates his fast, even before investigating.
1004. If a person deliberately recites aloud where he should recite in a low voice or vice versa, his prayer is invalid. However, if he does so out of forgetfulness or ignorance of its ruling, his prayer is valid. If a person realizes his mistake while reciting sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah or the latter sÙrah, it is not necessary for him to repeat the parts he has already recited.
1005. If a person recites sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah and the second sÙrah in an unusually loud voice—for example, shouting out its words—his prayer is invalid.
1006. A person must learn how to pray, so he may offer it correctly. If a person is unable to learn it at all, he should offer it in whatever manner he can. Recommended precaution dictates that if a person is unable to learn that which the Imam of a congregation undertakes in place of the follower, he should offer his prayer in congregation.
1007. If a person does not know sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah, the second sÙrah and other components of prayer properly, he should endeavor to learn them if he is able to and if there is sufficient time left for the prayer. If the remaining time is nominal, he should offer his prayer in congregation if possible.
1008. It is permissible to take wages for teaching the recommended components of prayer. However, obligatory precaution dictates that one should not take wages for teaching its obligatory components.
1009. If a person does not know one of the words of sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah or the latter sÙrah, and is culpable for his ignorance, or if he deliberately omits it, or if he pronounces a letter in lieu of another, such as ض in place of ظ, or if he recites the vowels, such as fatÎahh or kasrahh, where he is not supposed to, or omits the tashdÐd on a letter, his prayer is invalid.
1010. If a person thinks that he knows a word correctly, and recites it in that manner in his prayer, but later realizes he recited it incorrectly, his prayer is valid as long as he is not culpable for his ignorance in his belief of it being correct. Recommended precaution dictates that he should repeat his prayer if there is time, or offer its qaÃÁ if the time has passed. However, if he is culpable for his ignorance, he should repeat his prayer if there is time, or offer its qaÃÁ if the time has passed.
1702. If an insane person regains his sanity, it will not be obligatory upon him to fast the qaÃÁ of the fasts from the period that he was insane.
1011. If a person does not know for example, if a word contains the letter ص (ÒÁd) or س (sÐn), he should endeavor to learn it. If he recites it in two or more ways, with the intention of the correct pronunciation being a part of his prayer, while the incorrectly pronounced word is commonly inferred as erroneous dhikr or erroneous qirÁÞah—for example, while the person recites (اهدنا الصراط المستقيم) he repeats the word (المستقيم) twice, once with س (sÐn) and once with ص (ÒÁd)—his prayer is valid. However, in the event that the incorrect pronunciation is deemed human speech, his prayer is invalid. His prayer is similarly invalid if he is unaware of the positioning of the Arabic vowels, such as the fatÎahh and kasrahh. If they are at the end of the word, in which case pausing is permissible, he should either always pause, or join with sukÙn. It is not obligatory to become versed with its lattermost vowels, and prayer shall be deemed valid.
1012. If a word contains the letter و (wÁw), while the vowel of its preceding letter is a Ãammah and the subsequent letter is a ء (hamzah), such as in the word سوء, or it contains the letter ا (alif), while the vowel of its preceding letter is fatÎahh and the subsequent letter is a ء (hamzah), such as in the word جاء, or it contains the letter ي (yÁÞ) while the vowel of its preceding letter is kasrahh and the subsequent letter is a ء (hamzah), such as in the word جيء, recommended precaution dictates that these three letters should be recited with madd, i.e. they should be elongated.
If the letter subsequent to ا و ي (alif, wÁw or yÁÞ) is a letter with sukÙn instead of ء (hamzah), then these three letters should be recited with madd. For example, in و لا الضالّين the letter ل (lÁm) after ا (alif) contains sukÙn, therefore the letter ا (alif) should be recited with madd. If a person does not abide by the aforementioned instructions, his prayer is invalid.
1013. Obligatory precaution dictates that one should not pause on the vowels during the qirÁÞah in prayer. What is meant by pausing here is when a person recites the final vowel of a word, such as fatÎah, kasrah or Ãammah, and then recites the next word with an interval between the two. For example, a person recites الرَّحْمَانِ الرَّحِيمِ while giving the “م” of the الرَّحِيْمِ a kasrah, and then pauses for a moment and then recites مالِكِ يَومِ الدِّيْن.
Recommended precaution dictates that one should not join after sukÙn. What is meant by not joining after sukÙn is when a person does not recite the final vowel of a word, such as the fatÎah, kasrah or Ãammah, and then recites the next word without any interval between the two. For example, if a person recites الرَّحْمَانِ الرَّحِيمِ and does not recite the kasrah of the “م”, and then recites مالِكِ يَومِ الدِّيْن without any interval.
1703. If a kÁfir becomes a Muslim, it will not be obligatory upon him to fast the qaÃÁ of the fasts from the period that he was a kÁfir. However, if a Muslim becomes a kÁfir, he will have to fast the qaÃÁ of the fasts that he did not observe when he was a kÁfir. These fasts will not be lifted from him—owing to his acceptance of Islam—even if he reverts to Islam.
1704. If a person fails to fast due to being intoxicated, he will have to fast its qaÃÁ, even if the intoxicating substance was consumed for treatment purposes.
1705. If a person does not fast for a few days owing to a valid excuse, but later develops a doubt as to when his excuse came to an end, obligatory precaution will dictate that he fast the qaÃÁ of the greater number of days that he feels were missed. For example, if a person who embarked on a journey prior to the month of Ramadan cannot remember if he returned on the fifth or the sixth of the month, obligatory precaution dictates that he fast the qaÃÁ of six days. However, if a person does not know when exactly he developed the excuse, he can fast the qaÃÁ of the lesser number of days. For example, if a person embarked on a journey towards the end of the month of Ramadan, and returned after the holy month, but does not remember whether he travelled on the 25th of the holy month or the 26th, he can fast the qaÃÁ of the lesser amount, which is five days in this case (assuming a month of thirty days). The recommended precaution is that he fast the greater number of days.
1706. If a person has to fast the qaÃÁ of the fasts from a number of Ramadans, there is no problem in beginning with the qaÃÁ of any one of the years. However, if the time remaining for fasting the qaÃÁ of the preceding Ramadan is constrained—for example, he has to offer the qaÃÁ of five fasts from the previous month of Ramadan, and only five days remain to the next month of Ramadan—then obligatory precaution dictates that he begin with the qaÃÁ of the preceding month of Ramadan.
1707. If the qaÃÁ of the fasts of a number of Ramadans are obligatory upon a person, when fasting the qaÃÁ he does not have to specify the qaÃÁ of which Ramadan he is fulfilling, unless there is a difference between the two fasts with regard to their effect.
1708. When fasting the qaÃÁ of the month of Ramadan, a person may invalidate his fast prior to zuhr. However, if the remaining days are not sufficient for observing the qaÃÁs, he may not invalidate his fast based on obligatory precaution.
1709. If a person is fasting the qaÃÁ of a deceased person, the recommended precaution is that he should not invalidate his fast after zuhr.
1710. If a person does not fast in the month of Ramadan owing to a sickness, Îayà or nifÁs, and then dies before the end of the month of Ramadan, or after it but before regaining his ability to fast, then there is no qaÃÁ for the fasts that he did not observe.
1711. If a person does not fast in the month of Ramadan owing to a sickness, and that sickness persists until the subsequent month of Ramadan, the qaÃÁ of the fasts that he did not observe will not be obligatory on him. He will have to give one mudd of staple food to a needy person for each day (that he did not fast). However if a person had failed to fast owing to any other excuse, such as travelling, and his excuse persists to the next month of Ramadan, he will have to fast the qaÃÁ of the fasts that he missed. The obligatory precaution is that he also give one mudd of staple food to a needy person for each day (that he did not fast).
1712. If a person does not fast in the month of Ramadan owing to an illness, and he is cured after the month of Ramadan, but develops another excuse due to which he is unable to fast its qaÃÁ until the next month of Ramadan, he will nonetheless have to fast the qaÃÁ of the missed fasts. Similarly, if a person develops an excuse other than sickness in the month of Ramadan, and after the month of Ramadan he is divested of his excuse, but is unable to fast until the next month of Ramadan owing to an illness, he will have to observe the qaÃÁ of the fasts that he missed. In both cases, the obligatory precaution is that he give one mudd of food to a needy person for each day (that he missed).
