Sex during fasting hours in Ramadan is strictly prohibited and requires expiation, but it is allowed at night before dawn with obligatory ghusl before Fajr. Masturbation is also forbidden and breaks the fast.
Ramadan emphasizes self-control, spiritual discipline, and purity, urging believers to channel their desires through worship and devotion.
Can You Have Sex During Fasting Hours in Ramadan?
No, you cannot have sex during fasting hours. Having sexual intercourse during fasting hours in Ramadan is strictly forbidden (haram) for both men and women who are obligated to fast.
This act is considered a grievous sin, and those who engage in it must offer expiation (kaffarah). The expiation involves freeing a slave, fasting for two consecutive months if possible, or feeding sixty poor persons if neither of the former options is feasible.
This ruling is based on a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prescribed the expiation for a man who admitted to having intercourse with his wife during fasting hours in Ramadan.
Abu Hurairah narrated that: A man came and said:
“O Messenger of Allah; I am ruined!” He said: “What has ruined you?” He said: “I had sexual relations with my wife during Ramadan.” He said: “Are you able to free a slave?” He said, “No.” He said: “Then are you able to fast for two consecutive months?” He said, “No.”
(Grade: Sahih).
He said: “Then are you able to feed sixty needy people?” He said, “No.” He said: “Sit.” So he sat. A big basket full of dates was brought to the Prophet, and he said: “Give it in charity.” So he said: “There is no one needier than us between its two mountains.” So the Prophet laughing until his pre-molar teeth appeared, and he said: “Then take it to feed your family.”
Can You Have Sex During the Night in Ramadan?
Yes, you can have sexual intercourse during the night in Ramadan, before the onset of dawn, sex between spouses is permitted and not forbidden. This permissibility is explicitly mentioned in the Quran.
Allah, the Exalted, says: “
It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:187]
After engaging in intercourse, it is obligatory to perform ghusl (ritual purification) and then pray Fajr (the dawn prayer).
Any form of intimate relationship with a person of the opposite gender outside of marital relations is strictly forbidden in Islam, emphasizing the sanctity and boundaries of marital commitment.
Can You Masturbate During Ramadan?
No, absolutely not, you cannot masturbate during Ramadan. Masturbation is considered impermissible (haram) in Islam, regardless of whether it occurs during Ramadan or at any other time. Muslims are encouraged to channel their sexual desires in permissible ways within the confines of marriage, while abstaining from activities that contradict Islamic teachings.
Masturbation during the daytime of Ramadan breaks the fast, as indicated by the Hadith where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentions that a fasting Muslim abstains from eating, drinking, and sexual desires for the sake of Allah.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “
Allah says: ‘(The person observing Saum) has abstained from food and drink, and sexual pleasures for My sake; fasting is for Me, and I will bestow its reward. Every good deed has ten times its reward’.”
[Al-Bukhari].
Ramadan is a time for self-discipline and refraining from actions that could invalidate the fast. If struggling with urges, scholars recommend focusing on prayer, reading Quran, and other acts of worship to manage them.
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Conclusion:
Sexual intercourse during fasting hours in Ramadan is strictly forbidden and requires expiation if committed. However, it is permitted at night before dawn, as stated in the Quran. After intimacy, performing ghusl before Fajr prayer is mandatory. Islam upholds the sanctity of marital relations while prohibiting any form of intimacy outside of marriage.
Masturbation is also impermissible in Islam and invalidates the fast during Ramadan. As fasting requires abstaining from all sexual desires, believers are encouraged to exercise self-restraint through prayer, Quran recitation, and worship. Ramadan is a time of spiritual purification, emphasizing discipline and devotion to Allah.
