What is the ruling on breaking the fast during the day in Ramadan without an excuse?

The questioner : What is the ruling on breaking the fast during the day in Ramadan without an excuse?

The Shaykh : Breaking the fast during the day in Ramadan without an excuse is one of the major sins, and it makes a person an open sinner. It is obligatory for him to repent to Allah and to make up the day on which he broke his fast. For example, if he fasted and then broke his fast during the day without an excuse, he must make up that day, because when he started it, he committed to it and entered into it as an obligation. Therefore, he is required to make it up, just as with a vow. However, if he intentionally left off fasting from the start without an excuse, the stronger position is that he is not required to make it up, because he would gain nothing from it, as it will not be accepted from him. The principle is that any act of worship tied to a specific time, if delayed beyond that time without an excuse, is not accepted from its doer. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and because whoever transgresses the limits of Allah, the Exalted, commits injustice, and the wrongdoer is not accepted. Allah the Exalted said: Also, if he had performed this act of worship before its time, meaning he did it before the time entered, it would not be accepted from him; likewise, if he does it after the time, it is not accepted from him unless he has an excuse.