Ruling on one who has intercourse with his wife during the day of Ramadan while ignorant of the ruling
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Question: From Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz to the honorable brother... May Allah guide him to all that is good, amen.
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. And after that:
Your letter has reached us, may Allah guide you, containing the question about what happened to you in a state of ignorance, which is that you had intercourse with your wife during the day of Ramadan while you were fasting several times, and then you heard afterward that it is not permissible while fasting, and your desire for a fatwa was known.
Answer: There is no doubt that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has forbidden His servants eating, drinking, intercourse, and everything that breaks the fast during the day of Ramadan. He has made obligatory upon the one who has intercourse during the day of Ramadan while he is of legal age, sound, resident, not sick, and not traveling, an expiation, which is freeing a slave. If he does not find one, then fasting two consecutive months. If he does not find that, then feeding sixty poor people, each poor person receiving half a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of the staple food of the land. As for the one who has intercourse during the day of Ramadan while he is among those upon whom fasting is obligatory, because he is of legal age, sound, and resident, but did so out of ignorance, like what happened to you, the scholars have differed regarding his case. Some of them said: He owes the expiation; because he was negligent in not asking and not studying the religion. Others among the scholars said: He does not owe an expiation because of the ignorance. By this, you know that the most cautious course for you is the expiation, because of your negligence and not asking about what is forbidden to you before you did what you did. If you are unable to free a slave or fast, feeding sixty poor people is sufficient for you for every day in which you had intercourse. If you had intercourse on two days, then two expiations. If you had intercourse on three days, then three expiations, and so on, every act of intercourse on a day requires an expiation.
As for multiple acts of intercourse on one day, one expiation is sufficient for them. This is the most cautious and best course for you, striving for the purity of the conscience, and to get out of the disagreement of the scholars, and to make up for your fasting. If you do not remember the number of days in which you had intercourse, then act with the most cautious course, which is taking the greater number. So if you doubt whether it was three days or four, make it four, and so on. But what is confirmed upon you is only the thing you are certain of. May Allah guide us and you to what brings His pleasure, and the purity of the conscience. And peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. And after that:
Your letter has reached us, may Allah guide you, containing the question about what happened to you in a state of ignorance, which is that you had intercourse with your wife during the day of Ramadan while you were fasting several times, and then you heard afterward that it is not permissible while fasting, and your desire for a fatwa was known.
Answer: There is no doubt that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has forbidden His servants eating, drinking, intercourse, and everything that breaks the fast during the day of Ramadan. He has made obligatory upon the one who has intercourse during the day of Ramadan while he is of legal age, sound, resident, not sick, and not traveling, an expiation, which is freeing a slave. If he does not find one, then fasting two consecutive months. If he does not find that, then feeding sixty poor people, each poor person receiving half a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of the staple food of the land. As for the one who has intercourse during the day of Ramadan while he is among those upon whom fasting is obligatory, because he is of legal age, sound, and resident, but did so out of ignorance, like what happened to you, the scholars have differed regarding his case. Some of them said: He owes the expiation; because he was negligent in not asking and not studying the religion. Others among the scholars said: He does not owe an expiation because of the ignorance. By this, you know that the most cautious course for you is the expiation, because of your negligence and not asking about what is forbidden to you before you did what you did. If you are unable to free a slave or fast, feeding sixty poor people is sufficient for you for every day in which you had intercourse. If you had intercourse on two days, then two expiations. If you had intercourse on three days, then three expiations, and so on, every act of intercourse on a day requires an expiation.
As for multiple acts of intercourse on one day, one expiation is sufficient for them. This is the most cautious and best course for you, striving for the purity of the conscience, and to get out of the disagreement of the scholars, and to make up for your fasting. If you do not remember the number of days in which you had intercourse, then act with the most cautious course, which is taking the greater number. So if you doubt whether it was three days or four, make it four, and so on. But what is confirmed upon you is only the thing you are certain of. May Allah guide us and you to what brings His pleasure, and the purity of the conscience. And peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.