Had sexual intercourse during the day of Ramadan without knowing that it was Haraam

09/08/2009| IslamWeb

Question:

Assalam alaikum ,about 9 years ago when i got married i didn't know alot ,so in Ramadan i slept with my husband about 3 to 4 times. i didn't know how bad it was to sleep together during Ramadan . please help me in telling me what should i do about it ? Thank you so much.

 

Fatwa:

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.  

 

Whoever has sexual intercourse during the day of Ramadan while knowing that it is forbidden to do so (even if he does not know the consequences of sexual intercourse) then his fast is void and he is obliged to expiate for doing so. The expiation is to free a slave, and if this is not available, he is obliged to fast for two consecutive months, and if he is again unable to do so, he must feed 60 poor persons.

 

If a person does not know that it is forbidden, like a new Muslim, or a person who grew up in a remote country, or in a society where ignorance is widespread, then his fast is void as well and he is obliged to make up for that day in which he had sexual intercourse. The view we adopt here in Islamweb is that he is not obliged to expiate due to his ignorance that this act is forbidden.

 

Allah Knows best.

Fatwa answered by:The Fatwa Center at Islamweb