996. It is recommended to recite sÙrat al-jumu‘ah in the first rak‘ah and sÙrat al-munÁfiqÙn in the second rak‘ah, after reciting sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah in the Friday prayer and the Ûuhr prayer offered on Friday. Recommended precaution dictates that if a person begins to recite them, he should not abandon them for another sÙrah.

997. If a person begins to recite sÙrat al-tawÎÐd or sÙrat al-kÁfirÙn after sÙrat al-FÁtiÎah, he cannot abandon them and begin another sÙrah. However, if a person forgetfully begins reciting one of them in the Friday prayer or the Ûuhr prayer offered on Friday, in lieu of sÙrat al-jumu‘ah or sÙrat al-munÁfiqÙn, he may abandon them and recite sÙrat al-jumu‘ah or sÙrat al-munÁfiqÙn. The recommended precaution is that one should not abandon it after half or more of the sÙrah has been recited.

998. If a person deliberately recites sÙrat al-tawÎÐd or sÙrat al-kÁfirÙn in the Friday prayer or the Ûuhr prayer offered on Friday, obligatory precaution dictates that he should not abandon it for sÙrat al-jumu‘ah or sÙrat al-munÁfiqÙn, even if he has yet to recite half of it.

1661. If a person intentionally and voluntarily commits an act which invalidates the fast, his fast will be invalidated. On the other hand, if it is not committed intentionally, it will not harm his fast. However, if a person in the state of janÁbah goes to sleep, and based on the details that were elaborated in article 1636, does not perform his ghusl prior to fajr adhÁn, his fast will be void.

999. If a person begins reciting a sÙrah, other than sÙrat al-tawÎÐd or sÙrat al-kÁfirÙn, he may abandon it in lieu of another as long as half of it has not been recited. Obligatory precaution dictates that one should not abandon it between half and two thirds of its recitation. However, once two thirds has been recited, it is not permissible to abandon it for another sÙrah.

1662. If a person who is fasting forgetfully commits an act which invalidates his fast, and then thinking that his fast is invalidated, intentionally commits another act that invalidates a fast, his fast will be void.

1000. If a person forgets a part of the latter sÙrah, or due to compulsion, such as constriction of time or other causes, is unable to complete the latter sÙrah, he may abandon it and begin another sÙrah, even if two thirds of it has been recited and even if it be sÙrat al-tawÎÐd or sÙrat al-kÁfirÙn.

1663. If something is forced down the throat of a person who is fasting, it will not invalidate his fast. However, if he is duresed to break his fast, like if he is told that should he fail to eat, his family will be harmed or his property will be damaged, and he eats something to fend off the harm, his fast will as a result be invalidated.

1664. A person who is fasting should not venture into an area where he knows or is fairly satisfied that something will be forced down his throat, or he will be duresed to break his own fast. If he does so, and something is forced down his throat, or he is coerced to commit an act which invalidates his fast, his fast will as a result be invalidated. In fact, even if he makes a conscious decision to go but does not end up going to that place, his fast will nonetheless be invalidated.

1665. A number of acts are makrÙh for one who is fasting. Some of these are:
1. Putting medicine in the eyes, or applying kohl, if its taste or smell reaches the throat
2. Performing any task that weakens the body, such as drawing blood or taking a shower
3. Snuffing (tobacco), if one does not know that it will reach the throat. In the event that he knows it will reach the throat, it is not permissible to snuff it
4. Smelling fragrant herbs
5. Sitting in water, for women
6. Using a suppository
7. Wetting the clothes that one is wearing
8. Getting a tooth pulled out, or any other task that causes bleeding in the mouth
9. Brushing the teeth with a wet stick
10. To put water or any other liquid in the mouth without a valid reason.
It is also makrÙh for a man to kiss his wife without the intention of ejaculating, or to do anything that would sexually excite him. Of course, if he does it with the intention of ejaculating, his fast will be void.

1666. If a person enters the state of janÁbah during a night of the month of Ramadan, and according to the details that were elaborated in article 1636, he wakes up and then goes to sleep again, not waking up until the fajr adhÁn, he will only have to fast the qaÃÁ of that day. However, if a person intentionally commits another act which invalidates his fast, he will have to fast its qaÃÁ and pay its kaffÁrah if he knew that the act will invalidate his fast. The same will apply if he knew that the act is forbidden, but did not know that it invalidates a fast, such as ascribing a lie to God, the prophet or the Infallible Imams (Peace be upon them all).

1667. If a person commits an act that invalidates a fast, believing that it does not, due to his ignorance of its precepts, he will not have to pay the kaffÁrah.

1668. The kaffÁrah of a fast of the month of Ramadan is either:
1. to free a slave
2. to fast for two months, in accordance to the instructions that will be elaborated in the subsequent article.
3. to satiate sixty needy people. A person may also give each of them one mudd (approximately 10 seers) of food, such as wheat, flour, bread, dates or anything similar.
If none of the above is possible for a person, obligatory precaution dictates that he should combine both: giving alms (Sadaqa) to the extent that he can afford, and also seeking forgiveness from Allah. If he is unable to give anything to the poor as sadaqa, he should seek forgiveness, even if it be by saying astagfirullah once. The obligatory precaution is that whenever he is able to, he should pay the kaffÁrah.

1669. If a person wishes to pay the kaffÁrah for the fast of the month of Ramadan by fasting for two months, he should fast the fasts of one month and one day (from the subsequent month) consecutively. There is no harm if the rest of the fasts are not observed consecutively.

1670. If a person wishes to pay the kaffÁrah for the fast of the month of Ramadan by fasting for two months, he should not start at a time wherein a day—such as ‘Ðd al-aÃÎÁ—on which fasting is prohibited falls within one month and one day of his starting date.

1671. If a person who must fast consecutively (for a month and one day) fails to fast during one of the days without a valid excuse, he will have to start his fasts from the beginning. The same will apply for a person who starts at a time when he knows that he will come across a day when it is obligatory on him to fast, such as a day for which he has made a nadhr to fast on that particular day.

1672. If a person develops an unavoidable excuse between the days that he must fast consecutively, such as ÎayÃ, nifÁs, or an illness, he will not have to start the fasts from the beginning after the excuse has been removed; rather, he may complete the rest of the fasts after the excuse is removed.

1673. If a person invalidates his fast by committing a forbidden act, be it an act which is essentially forbidden such as drinking wine or adultery, or forbidden for a particular reason, such as intercourse with one’s wife while she is in ÎayÃ, the combined kaffÁrah will become obligatory on him based on obligatory precaution. This means that he will have to free a slave, fast for two months and satiate sixty needy people, or provide each of them with one mudd (750 grams) of food. If he is unable to perform all three, he should do the ones that he is able to, and based on obligatory precaution he should also seek forgiveness.

1674. If a person who is fasting intentionally ascribes a lie to God, the prophet (May Allah’s Blessings be upon him and his progeny) or the Infallible Imams(Peace be upon them all), the combined kaffÁrah—as elaborated in the previous article—will become obligatory on him based on precaution.

1675. If a person who is fasting masturbates or has intercourse multiple times during one day of the month of Ramadan, precaution will dictate that he pay a kaffÁrah for each time he engaged in these acts. If the masturbation or intercourse be a forbidden one, then for each time a combined kaffÁrah will be obligatory on him based on obligatory precaution.